Chased By The Shadows
by Fictionnaire
Summary: This story centres around Tony's recovery from the plague and looks into everyone's reaction to it. This has alot of TATE and a bit of Bremma in it I guess... You know Brad Pitt and Emma... Maybe I've discovered a new pairing. LOL
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or DiNozzo or the plague. I don't wish to either… They're all perfectly fine in the hands they are in at the moment.|  
**__**Spoilers: Minor Spoiler for SWAK**_

_**I guess they couldn't go down this avenue in the series because of time restraints but I guess that's what Fanfiction was invented for. To take TV shows in the direction we want to take them.**_

_**Summary: Tony tries to get away from death's door and get back from the brink of death.**_

* * *

_There must be something worth living for… There must be something worth trying for… Even something worth dying for, but if one man can stand tall, there must be hope for us all… Somewhere, somewhere within the spirit of man – Beth, _Lyrics from Spirit Of Man, War Of The Worlds Stage Musical

Chased By The Shadows

**CHAPTER 1: **You will not die…

Tony could no longer lift himself into the sitting position. The continuous coughing fits had totally robbed him of his strength. He tried to look down as Emma wiped away the bloody sputum that accompanied each fit. Even breathing in through the nose was becoming too difficult as it was apparent he knew he was losing the fight.

"I'm sorry, I teased you with, all those movies Kate," Tony croaked out. _I'm not going out with her thinking I always was an ass._

"Teased," Kate replied as she looked at him. "You tortured me… For the last two years all I've heard is John Wayne and Clint Eastwood… James Bond," Kate said. She hated what she was doing, but knew the teasing would spur him on and keep him going. And, selfishly, it made her feel like nothing was going to change, that he'd be up soon to continue their banter at work. Kate had five brothers that always kept her on her toes the same way Tony did. There was a comfort between their teasing that made her think of Tony like a brother and she wasn't going to lose it without a fight. She only hoped that Tony was in for the fight.

"James Bond…… is a…… character," Tony responded through panted breaths and coughed a couple of times. "Played by, Sean Connery... George Lazenby, Roger Moore, ……. Pierce Brosnan."

Kate wasn't surprised to hear how weak his voice was. How hard it was to continue a smooth sentence. All that coughing had to have torn his throat to shreds and he was struggling for his breath like a drowning man. And, truth be told he was drowning in the fluids that lay in his lungs.

Emma used the stethoscope to monitor the congestion and fluid which made breathing such an effort for Tony. Doing what she was instructed to only reinforced the fact that the man lying on the bed was dying. She'd seen young men die before. To her, Tony was to full of life and the thought of someone in this day and age to have the Plague, well, it scared and saddened her.

"Why are…… you wearing…… a mask?" Tony's voice was almost a whisper.

Emma looked up at Kate. The time to be truthful had come. Emma couldn't understand why Kate had stayed, but this would probably be the last straw, the woman would have to leave for her own health.

Kate knew the affect that this revelation could have. "'Cause I have a cold," she said.

Tony had stopped believing that along time ago. He wanted her there and yet he wanted her out,( where she'd be safe. "Why aren't….. you sick?" He asked. The question he was really asking was why aren't you infected or why are you still here? Either way he was relieved that Kate hadn't caught the plague from him stupidly opening that letter.

"'Cause I'm stronger than you Tony," Kate answered.

"No….. you're not," he retorted with wheezing breaths and struggled to get the words out.

Emma could hear the breathing getting worse even without the stethoscope. There seemed no way now around it. She schooled her face, she didn't want him to see the reality of the situation, but knew he felt it.)\

"Am to," Kate responded quickly.

Tony hardly had the strength to breathe in enough to cough out the phlegm that was building up. He breathed in but was getting to weak to expel it.

"Come on, sit up Tony," It took both the nurse and Kate to pull his dead weight up and lean him forward so he wouldn't choke on the sputum that was slowly taking the agent closer to death. Emma smacked Tony's back in order to assist him in coughing up anything he possibly could.

"Kate," Brad Pitt entered the isolation chamber. "You should leave now," he knew that it was getting worse and too dangerous for her to stay. There was nothing Kate could do anymore except leave so she wouldn't get infected.

Tony's head touched the pillow. He heard Kate leave. He was relieved at her leaving so she wouldn't catch the dreaded disease, yet he was scared to be without her. All he could think were jumbled thoughts and that it was only a matter of time before the end.

Kate had watched him deteriorate at an unbelievable rate, the disease from the past was robbing Tony of his life. These thoughts swirled around in her head while she waited for the first set of doors to close.

* * *

"Oh God," she mumbled as she removed the mask from her face. She took a last look at her partner. As soon as the second doors opened she was mournfully crying. All the things they said too each other in the past meant nothing. Tony meant more to her than she ever let on, but now she could never tell him. He'd be headed to the grave thinking she hated him. She made a B-line straight for Ducky's open arms and cried hard.

"You were brave to stay with him, Kate," Ducky told her, his arms anchoring her and felt comforting.

She could feel Ducky was holding back his own sorrow in order to help her.

She didn't feel brave, she felt stupid. "He's dying Ducky," she whimpered not able to look at the isolation room or her partner, friend and in a lot of way, brother. They had known this for hours, but saying it only made his coming death a reality. That broke her heart, tore it to shreds.

"Ah, the hell he is," Gibbs walked by. There was no way Tony was going to die on his watch. He never lost a man or left one behind. Gibbs went in with determination. He wouldn't allow it, and he was going to tell Tony the only way he knew how.

Brad heard the doors open and intercepted the intruder, "Who the hell are you?" Brad asked as he stopped him.

"His Boss," Gibbs answered flatly, "The bug had a suicide chain, its dead. It's been dead for over an hour," he was even surprised that with the internal anguish he felt, he could remain so calm towards the doctor.

"He's no longer infectious," Gibbs made his way past the doctor and Emma in order to be next to Tony's bedside.

"Tony, listen to me," he whispered into his young agent's ear. "Are you listening?" Gibbs asked. He listened to the labored breathing waiting for an affirmative response.

"I'm list……-listening Boss," Tony painfully pushed out the words. He wanted Gibbs to know that it didn't matter what hell he was going through, he'd always listen to his boss.

"You will not die," Gibbs said.

Gibbs waited for a response, instead it seemed that Tony was drifting out of consciousness and he wasn't even sure if the message/order, got through to Tony. He held his hand above Tony's head and gave him a head slap. There was no way he was going to let this man die.

Tony's glassy green eyes snapped open. His eyes turned a bit unfocused on his boss, giving as much attention as he could.

"I said… You. Will. Not. Die." Gibbs said quieter but firmer. It wasn't hard to make it believable if you fully believed it yourself. He waited for the response that would tell him Tony had understood.

"I got-gotcha Boss," Tony nodded and felt some strength return, not much but more. He wondered if Gibbs had handed it to him. If anybody would ask, he'd always answer yes. If he was ever given that chance.

"Good," Gibbs said as he stood up straight. Tony felt something being placed into his hand and clasped it. "It's your new cell," Gibbs said to him. "Now get the number changed, women kept calling for spanky," he said to Tony. He thought of the several women that had called over the last few hours and shook his head, he shouldn't have been surprised.

He left the isolation chamber. Emma went right back to Tony and watched him bring his cell closer to his heart. "Spanky," Tony just managed to weakly mumble as he thought about Gibbs getting those calls. He imagined the look on Gibbs' face when someone called him spanky.

Emma stroked the side of Tony's face tentatively. Since she'd heard he wasn't infectious now, she wasn't so fearful. Tony still was on the edge. It had already done the physical damage to his body. Emma had noticed there was a slight change in Tony's demeanor. He seemed to fight a bit more even through the labored breathing.

* * *

Gibbs met with Ducky and Kate who were still waiting at the entrance with baited breath. It seemed that Kate's tears had stopped but her breathing was still shaky along with an occasional sob.

"He's going to be fine," Gibbs assured them.

"Nobody survives from the plague, Gibbs," Kate raised her voice at her Boss.

"Yeah they do," Gibbs replied confidently. And under any other circumstances he would have chewed her out. "There's a survival rate,"

"What is it Jethro?" Ducky asked. There was still some hope if there was even some mention of a survival rate.

"I need to talk with you Duck," Gibbs took him out of earshot from Kate. "I need you to keep Kate upbeat," Gibbs said.

"What is the survival rate Jethro?" Ducky asked the question once again, he had known about the suicide chain in the Y-Petis.

"It's fifteen percent," Gibbs answered. "But he's not going to die," he assured.

"What makes you so sure?" Ducky immediately regretted the question.

"Because I told him he's not going to die," Gibbs said as he went to leave. There was still something he had to do. There was the matter of interrogating the one responsible. "Have you ever known Tony to disobey a direct order from me?" Gibbs slight smile was confident before leaving. "Look after everyone Duck," he added.

* * *

**_A/N: Hope people will enjoy this story. I know, I'm so mean to Tony. But I think he got off lightlybetween the end of SWAK and the beginning of Twilight. So here's my variation of what went on during the recovery.  
Special thanks to my Beta crockettsgirl, who fixed up many things in this chapter but still kept my words my own. Also a bit more of Brad Pitt and Emma... Bremma as it maybe known from now on. LOL, Alright, so I'm a doctor Pitt fan._**

**_Thoughts either way are appreciated._**


	2. Chapter 2

Chased By The Shadows

_When the demons arrive, those alive will be better off dead – Parson Nathanial, Spirit Of Man Lyrics... War Of The Worlds Musical. _

"Hey," Brad massaged Emma's shoulders, taking out the knots that had grown with worry. She still refused to take her eyes off the young patient and now the only patient in the isolation chamber. It was still touch and go. Tony wasn't exactly sleeping peacefully but she knew as soon as he woke that she'd be in there.

"Why don't you get an hour's sleep or something?" Brad asked her. "At least go and get something to eat," he added.

"What about you?" Emma asked. She wasn't the only one who felt tired or hungry.

"I use to be a frat boy... Remember?" Brad gave her a reassuring smile. He knew it'd be a battle to get her to get some shuteye. "I'm use to late nights and parties that go for days,"he assured her with his kind words. He knew she had heard him talking to Tony about their college days which ran into tales of their fraternities and wild parties.

"Wake me up in an hour or so," It was an order that Brad didn't even dare disobey. Even with his big frame, Emma seemed to be the only one who could make him quiver.

"Alright," Brad said. He sat down near the machine and began writing in his notes. CDC had ordered him to keep notes on the plague and how they were handling and treating it. Since this genetically altered plague was still out there in someone's lab they were on their toes and had to make plans that could be compiled. Unless they were able to stop the making of this disease with a court order, but there was still a chance some had gotten out.

The peace was short lived when Tony's eyes suddenly snapped open and he struggled to sit up. He felt as if he couldn't even move. The coughing started again. Brad found himself sprinting into the chamber to help his patient to sit up. It seemed that more of the phlegm seemed to be going down then coming out. The problem with that was that Tony's lung would fill and drowning was a probability.

"I can't... Move," Tony said in fear between coughs. "They, it's. Coming," he resigned to the fact that there was nothing anyone could do. He was going to fail at the last order he was given. Tony's anxiety grew stronger feeling the death that was stalking him. Brad recognized the look that was hidden behind half closed eyes.

* * *

**NCIS Training Gym **

Working the punching bag was an understatement. Gibbs was beating the shit out of it, taking all his anger out with each punch. He was extremely angry at the events that led to this point. Again, he punched the bag. His senior field agent was infected with the plague because some bitch was too afraid about appearances so she had hid the truth.

THWACK!

He was mad because a person so devoted to protecting nature hated NCIS so much that she'd kill one of his people without caring which one it was.

THWACK!

He was mad because a pharmaceutical company had made this beast without making an antidote to protect people from contracting it. His anger grew with each thought. Grew more when he thought about the fact the company still decided to go ahead with the project. He laughed bitterly at that thought. They never considered the fact that the dying woman was crazy enough to steal the Y-Pestis.

THWACK!

He cursed DiNozzo for opening an envelope that wasn't addressed to anyone. His training should have sent the alarm bells ringing and that angered him too. But Tony was always teasing McGee at every chance he got. Tony was his second and should have known that there was no need for him to just grab that envelope. But no... DiNozzo had to take the letter and open it.

THWACK!

"Jethro," Ducky said as he stood by the boxing ring at a safe distance. Judging by the sweat that was dripping on the back of the neck, Gibbs had been punching the bag for quite some time. Ducky found himself tied up for words and couldn't quite figure out what he needed to say to his friend. Of course Gibbs needed the outlet for the frustration that had built up but enough was enough, Ducky thought.

"I didn't hear you come in Duck," Gibbs gave the punching bag one more almighty whack before turning around.

"Of course you didn't," Ducky answered as he studied Gibbs' features to figure out what kind of reaction Gibbs would have to his sudden presence.

"What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked as he used the towel to wipe the back of his neck. "You look dead on your feet Duck," he added, his voice had a bit more of a friendly tone. Well, as friendly as Gibbs would get.

"I just wanted to see how you were," Ducky explained casually studying his friend.

"I'm good," Gibbs said flatly, giving nothing away. "How was Tony when you left?" He asked, deflecting the conversation away from how he was feeling.

"I'm going back to see him at the hospital on the way home," Ducky answered. "There hasn't been too much of a change I'm afraid, but considering that Anthony is still alive is a good sign," He offered some assurance.

"And Kate?" Gibbs asked. He kicked himself. Right now he was two agents down. Kate was devastated by this whole thing and had stayed up until the last moment. He chastised himself that he only asked as an afterthought. How unfeeling was that? Well they didn't say the second B in his name was for Bastard for nothing.

"I had to send Caitlin home," Ducky said in a somewhat guarded response. "Poor girl was exhausted and really needed some sleep," he said. "How are you holding up, Jethro?" Ducky asked as he watched Jethro walk right past him without looking in his direction.

"I'm sick and tired of all the bullshit Duck," Gibbs wrapped the small towel around his neck before leaving. He was sick and tired of it alright. Ducky was really the only person he felt he could truly be honest with, concerning his feelings. With the rest of the team he had to be somewhat guarded.

* * *

**BETHESDA **

Brad had returned to his paperwork once the coughing had subsided and out of pure exhaustion his patient had gone to sleep. Tony almost seemed peaceful when he was asleep. Brad kept a close eye on him, as did Emma who developed a hawk-eye of her own, waiting for something to happen next. He rubbed his eyes and checked his watch.

Ducky strolled through the automatic doors and into the area with deliberate pace. He looked over at the Doctor who was drinking coffee from his mug. Brad Pitt saw the older doctor approaching him and nonchalantly hurried to close the desk draw. The action didn't go unnoticed by Ducky as he hoped it would.

"Still working?" Ducky asked as he tried to engage Brad in polite small talk before getting down to business.

"The shifts never cease," Brad stood up and walked around just to keep moving.

"How's he doing?" They had walked around till they were directly in front of the glass which gave them clear vision of Tony.

"Well the fact that he's not in a body bag is a good sign," Brad answered, realizing his joke was inappropriate. He shrugged it off and continued. Never one to beat around the bush knowing the direct approach was the best way. "He's nowhere near through this. Tony's scared and I'm not sure how much fight he has left in him," he concluded truthfully, knowing the other doctor understood.

"Anthony has a habit of surprising everyone," Ducky responded. "Never write him off."

"I never write anybody off until they're zipped up, Doctor Mallard," Brad said truthfully. Truth be told, he had never lost a patient and he'd be damned if the first person he lost was going to be a Buckeye. He allowed himself a quick second to remember how both he and Tony found out how he had been a Wolverine and Tony a Buckeye and the laughs they had over it. Especially at them realizing that Brad had been the one to damage Tony's leg and end the hopes for a professional career in the sport.

"You have the stamina of teenager," Ducky commented on the younger Doctor's alertness after what could only be classified at having a minimal amount of sleep.

"Think it comes from my younger days," Brad responded immediately. "Major parties that lasted a couple of days and all that has really built up my tolerance to sleep deprivation. You can ask Tony when he's better about that one," he cleared his throat, trying to stay positive. Of course his body was reaching the age when those periods were getting few and far between.

* * *

Tony wasn't sure how long he had slept for. He had become very reluctant to close his eyes, the fear that built up inside convinced him that he would not wake up again. Thoughts of movies floated in and out of his mind. If he was truly the leading man, someone would have brought the antidote and he'd be cured of this medieval disease.

The isolation chamber felt incredibly vacant. His glassy green eyes scanned the room. All the beds were empty and he was sure the shadows were closing in. If he wasn't the hero then surely there was only one place he was going.

_Help!_ He tried to call out. But only a whisper came from his damaged throat. He attempted to shuffle himself up to the head of his bed. Preferably, to keep himself fully under the protection of the light. The exertion only succeeded in inviting another bout of coughing. His whole upper body ached with each cough. He felt as if the coughs brought up his lungs. Yeah, right that was just a saying, but it sure as hell felt like it.

He found himself being patted on the back once again, his nose pressed into Emma's soft feminine arm. It didn't feel as if anything had been dislodged. Even though Gibbs had willed him to live, actually ordering him not to die, he no longer felt the strength that he thought the older man gave him. Tony was thinking he would welcome death. The biggest fear was being dragged down to hell. "Damn Ghost," he'd managed to get out.

"Ghosts?" Emma blinked. She'd heard stories about people on their death beds seeing loved ones before they died.

"Ghost," Tony corrected before his eyes fluttered closed once again.

* * *

_**NCIS Lab…**_

Abby worked feverishly in her lab after binning another empty cup of Caf-Pow and immediately went on drinking from another. The only way she could think of getting her mind off of Tony was to continue working. It was getting really hard to concentrate on what she was doing. The fingerprint failed to find a match and she reached her arm back to prepare to throw the novelty sized cup at the monitor and teach it a lesson for not doing what she wanted it to do.

"Whoa there Abbs," Gibbs managed to grab the cup before it was released. "You want to talk about it?" He asked.

Abby pouted so Gibbs couldn't see. "There's nothing wrong Gibbs," Abby dared to lie to her boss.

"You're about to throw a full cup of Caf-Pow," Gibbs observed. "There's something wrong… I know you're worried about Tony, Abbs," he went straight to the root of the problem.

"He's dying, Gibbs, and with all my science know how and with all my knowledge of chemicals there's nothing I can do to help him," Abby blurted out. She'd never felt so hopeless as she did now.

"Abbs," Gibbs told her. "No, there's not much you can do with science right now," he said calmly and softly. "But what you can do is go and see Tony. I'm sure he'd appreciate everyone seeing him," he assured her. Without actually saying it, he was telling her that Tony was going to pull through.

"I don't know," Abby replied. "I hate seeing Tony sick or injured. Not that I like seeing any of you guys injured. It hurts you know, people may think it doesn't but it does and what makes it worse is when people think it doesn't. But it does, Gibbs," Abby said almost pleading for reassurance that Gibbs could give. "It does hurt me when you guys hurt," she sniffed, sadly.

"Abbs… I know," Gibbs said softly after Abby's rant. "I know it does but I think you need to see him and it's going to eat away at you till you do," he explained softly to her, "Go on, go and see Tony," it was the softest order he had ever given.

"But," Abby was about to protest. She'd rather be buried in her work.

"Abby," Gibbs' voice was sterner, still friendly, but with a balance, "Go and see Tony. I'm sure people will understand if this is delayed," he told her. "Now go," this time he ordered.

"Alright, but if I get in trouble for being slow with the other work…" Abby began to say.

"Send them to me Abbs and I'll deal with them," Gibbs said seriously. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd dealt with complaints and it won't be the last. He sighed and hoped that Tony would pull through for his team's sake. Even though he had ordered Tony not to die, he could feel his own flashes of doubt coming through.

* * *

**_A/N: The Next chapter contains spoilers to Flesh and Blood. If anyone remembers, Flesh and Blood is the plague flick Tony mentions when he first finds out he has the plague to Kate. Kate tries to understand her partner by watching a couple of movies.  
Thanks to all those that have reviewed._**

**_And oww... For some reason my virtual arm is getting sore._**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chased By The Shadows 3**_

_**Spoilers: Flesh and Blood, Goldfinger**_

* * *

"_Didn't I warn them that this will happen? Be on your guard I said… For that evil never rests. I said… Exorcise the Devil, but no, they wouldn't listen… The demons inside them grew and grew… Until Satan gave his signal and destroyed the world we knew!" – Parson Nathanial_

"_Oh no, Nathanial no… There has to be more to life, there has to be a way, we can restore to life the love we use to know. No, Nathanial no… There has to be more to life, there has to be a way, we can restore life the light that we have lost." – Beth, The Parson's Wife_

_Spirit Of Man Lyrics, War Of The Worlds Musical._

* * *

Tony opened his eyes slowly. He had expected when he woke he'd start to cough up a lung and was surprised he wasn't. Though he figured it was only a matter of time. The harsh blue lights made him blink a few times but he dared not move, scared he'd trigger the cough.

_I'm dead, I'm dead and I'm in hell,_ he thought. There was no way he felt like talking. Even thinking about talking made his throat ache, he swallowed hard. _This is what hell is, fucking blue lights in a glass chamber I can never escape. _Tony turned his head slightly to see all the empty beds. _No wonder why they call it an isolation chamber. _All the action was on his right side.

"I'm increasing the dosage of Vancomycin by five percent to five hundred and twenty five milligrams per hour," Brad gave the order for Emma to write it down.

"Are you sure you want to increase it by five percent?" Emma asked to make sure that she had heard him right and to double check that he knew what he was ordering as well.

"Yes, to five hundred and twenty five mgs per hour every six hours starting at," Brad checked his watch. "Oh six-forty-five hours," he said as he piggy backed the antibiotic into the current IV bag.

"How are you feeling?" Brad had glanced down and saw that Tony had his eyes open and scanning the room. It was some ritual he performed each time he awoke. "How's your hearing?" Was the first question he asked.

_Throat's shot to hell, chest is sore, besides that I'm just fine._ He wasn't sure he wanted to open his mouth to talk.

"Can you hear me?" Brad asked in a concerned tone.

"Hearing's fine," Tony answered with a hoarse whisper.

"Good," Brad replied. He knew one of the side effects of Vancomycin was temporary hearing loss although it could be corrected by the cessation of the dosage. Satisfied, he turned to leave the area.

"Stay," Tony mumbled. He didn't care how pathetic it sounded really, but was glad when the doctor took a chair and sat beside him.

"You're looking a lot better," Brad observed.

_Better? Better… Here I am waiting for the inevitable. _"Just wa-waiting for death… Doctor," Tony said, feeling like his voice was failing with his life. "I never, never, thought I'd die from… The plague," he laughed bitterly. There was no way he wanted to die alone.

"You're not dying of the plague," Brad reminded him. "The plague's dead… Its pneumonia now," he mentally kicked himself for sounding so callous, "You're not going to let pneumonia beat a buckeye are you?"

Tony laughed which made him cough until he couldn't anymore. "If I no longer have the plague… why the damn mask?" He cleared his throat.

"Habit I guess," Brad answered which earned him a distrustful look. Brad removed the mask, truth be told it was much better with the mask off so his mouth wasn't being covered by hot stuffy breath. "Now, would I do that if you still had the plague?" He asked to keep things light.

"Hmph," Tony grunted. "Maybe," he added. _Maybe he's making me die comfortably. Maybe it's a form of palliative care._

Brad had seen the resignation in Tony's eyes. It was a far cry from the football game where he broke Tony's leg. "You know," Brad said after reminiscing about the tied game. "What happened to the guy who wanted to kick my ass with a broken leg?" He asked.

"Totally different," Tony croaked out.

"Ha!" Brad responded so quickly that it made Tony jump a little. "The situation is different, but your attitude is still the same," he explained the cause of his sudden outburst. "What happened to the fight?" He asked.

"I'm not sure… not sure I have any fight left," Tony answered. All they had done and all he had gone through seemed to have taken almost everything out of him. _People say fight as if it's the easiest thing in the world to do… Yeah right, it's damn well hard._

"You've survived a bout of the plague," Brad replied. "The rest should be a cakewalk," he added to reassure his patient.

Emma shook her head. Brad had talked about some of his college days, but never had he mentioned breaking someone's leg before. She wondered what he thought of Tony's flirtatious behavior since he never said anything about it. Brad knew their relationship was secure enough to not be concerned about it. Emma knew Brad would have said something if Tony's words had bothered him. She couldn't help a little laugh, but kept it away from the microphone. She was amused by the no BS approach that Brad Pitt often employed with people. And, it seemed very effective at times.

* * *

_**Kate's Apartment**_

Kate placed the bowl of pasta onto the small table in the lounge after the movie finished. Watching a movie like Flesh and Blood wasn't really a good thing to do while eating. The video clerk warned her that the movie was more Flesh than Blood, she didn't quite get it then, but she sure as hell got it now. Kate wanted to understand more about Tony desperately, to profile him. Instead of going straight to sleep, Kate rented two movies. She wondered why Flesh and Blood had stuck out so much in Tony's mind that he had to mention that particular plague movie to her in isolation.

The movie had fighting, looting, sex, full frontal nudity, more fighting and more sex… Quite a bit of it and both the hero and the villain had the girl for awhile but the hero won in the end. Steven, the young hero was a person who thought out of the box and was willing to change as the situation dictated, which reminded her of Tony. She didn't know much, but knew Tony had a strained relationship with his father as did Steven. God, did he really see himself as a Steven? Kate studied the half eaten plate of pasta on the table. It was definitely a bad move to watch a movie with the bubonic plague and eat at the same time.

Now it was time for Bond… James Bond. She had managed to find Sean Connery's first Bond appearance, Goldfinger. Tony was well known for his love of Bond and his Sean Connery impressions. She'd seen some of the movies before but never really took any notice of them. However, this was different. This was the only way she could look into Tony's character and that was through what he liked.

That was a mistake… Trying to make sense of Bond was giving her a headache. Why would a secret agent so willingly give out his name to the villain, Goldfinger. Oddjob had a hat with steel in it that could take the heads of statues, why not just decapitate Bond instead of using a laser where the hero would surely survive.

Did Tony see himself as a hero? He often dressed like Bond, but she always thought it was to hide something deeper. Did that mean Bond was hiding something deeper? Kate chuckled; maybe the reason why Bond liked the little Astro Martin or whatever it's called was because he was overcompensating. But she had to admit that Tony looked really cute… Connery, she meant Connery looked really cute back then and very debonair.

Bond always got the girl it seemed, but with him being screwed over and one being totally covered with gold paint, surely that could probably be akin to Tony's failed relationships. Again there was something about the Antagonist being an older man… She would have to delve deeper with Tony, he must be more complex than she realized.

* * *

_**BETHESDA**_

Abby walked through the doors to the large room that was right before the isolation chamber. The blue lights made her stop in her tracks. The nurse was checking something and through the glass, Abby could see Tony wearing a mask. He must have been awake because she could see his head occasionally turn to follow Emma's movements. In Abby's mind she pictured him continuously flirting with the nurse.

Abby stood outside the isolation chamber and thought hard about entering to see him. She couldn't bring herself to step through to the other room. Tony was sick and what was she suppose to say anyway? It was so hopeless to figure out what to do or say.

"Looks like you have a visitor," Emma said to Tony.

Tony craned his head to see who Emma was referring to. He'd expected to see Gibbs or even Ducky walk through the doors.

"Up," Tony whispered which was barely audible behind the mask. He removed it. "Help me sit up," he said.

Tony did feel better but was still feeling too weak for any exertion by him self. He was kind of sick of the doctor and nurse and wanted to see someone different, perhaps a familiar face.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked him.

"Yes," Tony almost rolled his eyes as he was sat up. "It's Abbs," he coughed a couple of times. It seemed that the bloody sputum was no more, though occasionally Emma did wipe the corners of his mouth to make sure. "Get her in, can you?" Tony asked with a bit of enthusiasm.

"Sure Tony," she said.

Emma walked out of the chamber towards Abby who was by its doors. She was watching Tony with such trepidation and fear.

"Abbs, isn't it?" Emma asked. "You can go in there if you like. Go and see him," she encouraged.

"I can see him just fine from here," Abby played with her wrists anxiously as she looked on. "I'm fine, you know my name so I guess he knows I'm here. How is he?" Abby asked.

"He's a lot better, though he can hardly talk right now and he's sore," Emma answered in explanation, "He's got a sore throat, exhausted but, he's doing better," Emma smiled as Abby gave a little smile back.

"I just don't think I can go in with him like this. Not yet, anyway," Abby said. He looked bad from this distance.

* * *

Brad was sitting down in front of the monitoring machine looking into the chamber. Emma was nowhere to be seen. The area was lonesome outside and the mood was extremely depressing, even with the positive outlook he had. The sound of the machines going haywire broke the unearthly silence. Brad's breathing stopped as he looked down at the pencil he grasped in his hands. He almost knocked the empty cup off the table. He re-adjusted himself in the seat in order to look at Tony. His patient was now standing up in the middle of the chamber coughing up anything he could. Blood was spilling over his hands as he approached the glass.

The pencil snapped in Brad's hand as he knocked the coffee, spilling its contents over on to the equipment sending sparks flying everywhere. The doctor jumped up from where he sat. Small white flashes covered his vision for a few seconds. When Brad could finally see with clarity, he couldn't believe what he saw. Tony was doubled over, blood erupted in vomit while he banged the glass wall with one hand and massaged his chest with the other…

* * *

_**A/N: Alright, first before anyone puts a comment saying about the Goldfinger reference. I know Doctor No is the first James Bond movie and the first Connery appearance as Bond and not Goldfinger. For years I always thought Goldfinger was the first bond movie… So maybe Kate can make that mistake to.**_

_**Thanks for reviewing**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chased By The Shadows 4**_

_Take a look around you at the world you've loved so well and bid the aging empire of man a last farewell. It may not sound like heaven but at least it isn't Hell – Artilleryman, Brave New World, War Of The Worlds_

Brad protected his eyes from a couple of remaining sparks with his forearm until they settled down. Time passed quickly before he grabbed hold of his faculties to react to what was going on around him. He wondered where Emma was, she was there not long ago. She was nowhere in sight now. He pressed the button to open up the first set of doors but the chamber was nonresponsive. Inside, he could see Tony lying down in an ever growing pool of blood. It actually looked like he was bleeding out.

Brad picked up the chair that was sitting by the chamber's entrance and swung it as hard as he could. This action only succeeded in jarring his hand as the chair bounced off the glass. Next time he swung the chair more like a hammer throw competition and released the chair. He ducked when the chair returned.

All he could do was continuously press the button, try and break through the damn doors himself, since nobody seemed to be coming in response to his screams…

Brad felt his body being violently shook by an unseen force so much so his head was going back and forth. He naturally tried to fight off the invisible force that disturbed him. His arms flailed as he opened his eyes and felt disorientated. Emma was shaking his shoulders. His confused eyes darted around before focusing on her. He noticed himself breathing again.

"Tony, he's…" he looked into the chamber and found that everything seemed so normal. The machines were in perfect working order.

"He's asleep," Emma told him.

"I must have been dreaming," Brad said as he straightened up in the chair and cricked his neck slowly.

"You sure were… You were sounding pretty agitated," Emma told him. Usually when he dreamed he was silent. That was unless the dreams were disturbing him in some way.

Brad attempted to shrug it off. "I must've needed the sleep. I didn't even realize I fell asleep."

* * *

_Hell, if I'm going down, I'm going down swinging. _Tony thought to himself. He may not have had too much fight left but there was some buried deep within his reserve. After taking in some deep breaths,-as-he-could, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and landed on his feet. They felt really wobbly and he used the bed to keep him upright. If he could just make it to the doors and back, it'd get him motivated. _Come on, it's just a few steps._ He tried to convince himself to make his legs to obey his commands. _Come on._

Tony dragged the IV stand alongside him. He held on to it like a cane to keep his balance. His legs refused to listen and wobbled. A coughing fit hit and robbed him of his breath, he began to gasp and struggled to take in the air he needed. It felt as if the whole chamber was swaying. _Bad idea._ He cursed. When he turned around, everything began spinning. Tony's body crumpled into a heap on the floor…

Abby had been watching him and watching the two Doctors talking about something. She was too fearful to go in but as soon as Tony hit the ground she hit the button as hard as she could. There was no way Abby was going to stand around and watch Tony lie on the floor. The doors hissed open and then closed. She waited for the second doors to do the same.

"Tony!" She exclaimed, rushing to his side. Tony was lying still on the floor. Abby draped his arm around her neck and tried to lift him up. His body was dead weight and proved difficult for her to lift. "Tony?" Abby made sure he was still breathing. He was, but it was irregular, almost gasping.

Brad Pitt came rushing through the doors barely giving them time to open. Thankfully, with the two dragging Tony to his feet, it didn't seem so much of a battle without Tony's assistance.

"Get him in bed," Brad ordered. This earned a quizzical look from Abby who decided it was best not to say anything. "Ems, get the oxygen mask ready. What the hell were you trying to prove, Buckeye?" He asked rhetorically.

"That I have something left," Tony wheezed out and fought for breath while he was placed into the bed.

"Were you going to tell me personally?" Brad said in an annoyed voice. He worked to place the oxygen mask over Tony's face, to increase the amount of oxygen that was going into his body. "It's great you are fighting but lying on the ground isn't helping," Brad chastised.

Abby ran her fingers through Tony's hair. "Abbs," Tony weakly called to her. He recognized the delicate touch of her fingers. "You came," he muttered.

"Oh, Tony… I'm sorry I didn't come in earlier," Abby said, guilt laced in her voice.

"It's ok," he said tiredly. "I'm sorry, this should've never happened," Tony said with remorse.

"Shh," Abby told him. "You look like you need to sleep," she added while still stroking his hair.

"I'm tired," he sighed.

"Then go to sleep for Pete's sake," Abby said. She knew he was really bad when his eyelids closed without any protest.

Abby turned around to face Brad Pitt who breathed out heavily and rested his hands on his hips for a moment. "Usually I have to fight to get him to close his eyes," he distractedly told her.

"You alright Doctor?" Abby asked. She noted how his cheeks seemed to have a green tinge around them. "Looking a little green around the gills," since her eyes were no longer fixated on Tony; she could see other things going on around her.

"I'm good," Brad smiled warmly but it seemed a little forced.

Abby eyed him suspiciously but shrugged. "You're the doc, doc," she studied his features carefully. "Can I stay here for a bit?" Abby asked.

"Sure," Brad answered. He could see the concern in her eyes. "Just don't wake him," he ordered.

Abby raised her hand with three fingers outstretched. "Scout's honor," she said quickly.

*******************************************************************

Emma watched Brad sit down. "She's right you know," she told him.

"Yeah? What about?" Brad asked. He appreciated the time not be on watch that was given to them by the gothic visitor.

"You look a little sick," Emma answered. She was sure that Brad knew what she was talking about but typically wanted her to spell it out. "Perhaps you should have your blood tested," she told him.

"Nah, it's all good. When all this is done, I'm going to take a long vacation," Brad had his hands behind his head. "I hear the West coast of Australia has some really good spots this time of year," he changed the subject.

"I've been meaning to ask for awhile now," Emma asked. "How'd you break Tony's leg in that game you were talking about? You never mentioned it before," she emphasized the word IT.

"Well it's not something you brag about," Brad swiveled around in the chair to face her. "It's pretty difficult to find a space during dinner conversations to place a 'by the way I broke someone's leg when I played college football.'" Brad decided to recall the story.

"It was the beginning of the fourth quarter when we were trying to block them from making any ground at all. College football's a blood sport at times. Well, I was the one to tackle down Tony and try to drive him backwards. Well Tony had other ideas, he decided to try and jump me. He didn't jump high enough and I broke his leg as I sent him crashing down," Brad explained.

It wasn't something he was proud of doing but it was an unavoidable accident. "Tony was ready to kick my ass as well," Brad told her.

"And what is it about "Kissing your sisters?" Emma overheard that part. "Was that some sorority/frat thing?" She began massaging his shoulders.

"No," Brad said as he relaxed a little. "Kissing our sisters refers to a 13-13 draw," he said.

"Oh a one next to the three, I get it now," Emma responded.

* * *

Tony coughed hard the minute he woke, which made McGee jump in the chair. This was the first time he'd seen Tony since he had contracted the plague. Tony had a habit of getting into trouble and injured, but this was different. He couldn't just shake this off and roll up to work the next day. Whenever Tony got hurt, they never heard the end of it. They knew the hell that he must be going through but this would never be lived down.

"Probie?" Tony asked. His voice cracking still and all through the effort it was tough to hear him audibly. Tony saw the ghost of a smile on his face. "What's so funny Probie?" He was curious as to what possibly could have tickled his funny bone.

"Nothing, I'm sorry," McGee said. "How are you feeling?" McGee winced. He couldn't believe what a stupid question he'd asked.

"Something's obviously amused you," Tony didn't bother answering the question. "Out with it," it was an order.

"It's just, ah nothing," McGee replied.

"Spit it out," Tony coughed a couple more times to try and get the invisible blockage out of his throat.

"Would you," McGee rubbed his hand over his head and mouth. "Do you mind saying, _You will obey the supreme beings_ into my phone," he asked nervously.

"What?" Tony asked. _He has to be kidding me._ "Why?" He thought that he'd find out the reason before tearing into the younger agent.

McGee had expected the reaction and that's why he really didn't want to say anything. "Because you a sound a lot like Davros," McGee answered simply.

"I'm almost afraid to ask… But who the hell is Davros?" Tony asked. He motioned for him to bring the phone closer.

"He was the leader of the Daleks until they got sick of him and tried to do away with their leader," McGee explained. "Come on, you're not familiar with Doctor Who? You actually mean I'VE found an old TV show that you're not familiar with?"

"Can't be too good," Tony replied. "You will obey the supreme beings then?"

McGee nodded. "Doctor Who's been going on for over 30 years before it was taken off the air," he said. "Say it like you're really mean and annoyed," McGee continued.

"That's how I'm feeling right now," Tony responded.

"Ah, forget I asked, it was stupid of me," McGee said apologetically.

"Give it here," Tony snatched the phone from McGee and searched through the menu options to find the voice recorder mode. His gravely voice spoke into it. "You will obey the supreme beings known as Daleks," Tony took the phone off recorder mode and handed it back to McGee.

McGee put it back into his pocket. "Thanks for that," he gave a small smile.

"You owe me," Tony let McGee know.

"Yep," McGee replied.

* * *

_**NCIS AUTOPSY**_

Ducky took down another X-ray and put it into a yellow envelope as he heard the entrance doors open. He put the X-rays into another folder and closed it before writing some notes and placing it on a pile of other folders.

"I need to have a word with you Duckman," Abby said.

"Sure Abigail," Ducky said as he took off the blue sheet that covered him. Abby's voice sounded normal which was abnormal for her. Whatever the talk was going to be about, Ducky knew it had to be serious. "What seems to be the problem Dear Abigail," he was playing his usual role as team confidant.

"I was at Bethesda earlier on, you know visiting Tony," Abby said in her usual round about way.

"How is Anthony?" Ducky asked. He was planning to go after he organized some of the paperwork.

"He's doing better, but still not so good. But he did get out of bed for a little while," Abby answered. Ducky knew that that wasn't what she was going to talk about. "It's about the Doc,"

"Ah, Doctor Pitt, what about him?" Ducky asked. He couldn't even hazard a guess to what Abby was trying to say. He really hoped that she wasn't going to be cryptic all through this conversation.

"When I saw Tony today," Abby stopped for a moment to remember what she had seen.

Ducky went around and sat on a chair as he listened. Abby had a habit of talking in circles before getting to the point.. "Anyway, when we were helping Tony back into the bed, because he got out of bed and went for a walk but he fell to ground," Abby continued.

"Abigail… I do trust that there is a point," Ducky interrupted to try and keep her somewhat on track. The main topic of the conversation seemed to have something to do with the doctor.

"Yes, I'm getting to the point," Abby acted all put out at being interrupted. "I don't think the Doctor is good," she told him of her suspicions.

"You've peeked at his records?" Ducky arched an eyebrow before lowering it again. Of course, McGee and Abby would have found a way to peek at the Doctor's record.

"This isn't what that's about," Abby answered Ducky. "I meant he doesn't look too hot," she explained.

"What do you mean?" Ducky stood up in alarm. In usual instances, the infection of the pneumonic plague could be prevented by wearing a face mask. This however, was not the usual pneumonic plague.

"He looked like he was feeling sick," Abby answered simply.

"I'm on my way there now," Ducky said flatly. "I'll check to see how Doctor Pitt is then. Are you coming with me, my dear?"

"Not this time Duckman," Abby answered. "I have some tests to run and if I hold off any longer, the people who are waiting will soon be out for my blood," Abby smiled.

"Any thing else you noticed about the Doctor?" Ducky asked.

"His eyes looked a little glassy," Abby added.

Ducky hastily threw his jacked on and adjusted the collar. "One thing I hate about doctors," he was still talking on the way out. "They make the worst patients," he mumbled.

Abby shook her head as she left Autopsy to go and continue with her own work. Knowing that Tony was somewhat on the mend made it possible for her to concentrate more on her work. Now it just seemed they were all taking shifts in being there for him. But she felt better after going to see him for herself. Gibbs was definitely so smart and she no longer felt the need to throw Caf Pow at anything.


	5. Chapter 5

Chased By The Shadows 5

_Just think of all the poverty, the hatred and the lies. And imagine the destruction of all that you despise… Slowly from the ashes, the phoenix will arise – _**Artilleryman, Brave New World Lyrics, War Of The Worlds Musical**

Tony's lungs were still easily congested and often caused him bouts of horrible coughing fits in order to get the congestion up and out. Though the other symptoms of pneumonia were subsiding, they kept him in the isolation chamber to protect his low immune system from possible infections. He was propped up with pillows beneath his head an upper back to make it easier to breathe. His chest was heavy and sore from the hard coughing over the past few days. His voice had returned only to sound raspy and would crack.

Brad had informed him that the Vancomycin was what burned through his veins. He couldn't stop the medicine. This was the strongest to battle the pneumonia.

_Great, Tony thought, not only do I feel lousy and look lousy. I have to also put up with the feeling like fire is burning through my veins so I can get out of here. I haven't had any visitors since the first day either, it's like I have the plague. Wait a minute; I did have the fucking plague! _

"How's he doing?" Ducky asked Brad.

"He's doing a lot better," Brad answered as he gave the ME a complete rundown of Tony's improving condition.

"How's the report for the CDC going?" Ducky asked. "I'd like to have a look at it," he followed Brad around to his desk. He sat down as he opened up the folder. Ducky watched the younger doctor closely, keeping what Abby had said to him with his other concerns.

"Doctor Mallard," Emma greeted as she stood by them.

"We're going to be transferring, Tony out of the isolation tomorrow and into a ward. It is imperative that we…" Emma was cut off by Brad's yell.

Hey!" Brad protested when Ducky forcefully placed a hand against his forehead and used his thumb to open each eye fully. It had a dual purpose. One was to check for fever, the other was to check the glassiness of the eyes. Abby was right. "What do you think you're doing?" Brad asked, angrily.

Ducky's expression showed a flash of anger too. "If you're feeling rather poorly Doctor Pitt you should have removed yourself from this case," Ducky said. "That and have your blood tested right away," he openly scolded.

"I'm good," Brad responded again with anger. "I don't have the plague. I think I'd recognize the symptoms of the damn plague, Doctor Mallard," He allowed the anger to flow out of him. He'd been watching the symptoms, he'd been documenting them and he'd been treating the god damn symptoms and **he**, was damn tired.

Ducky knocked Brad's chair sideways and opened the draw before Brad could chance his disapproval and stop the older doctor from going into his desk. Ducky remembered the last time he was there. The doctor seemed anxious and hid something in the draw so that no one would see. Finding it didn't take long. The ME found the small bottle under the paper work. He placed it on the desk with some force.

"Care to explain these?" Ducky asked. His voice stern like he gave an order. "Provigil is prescribed for people with sleeping disorders. For people who can't wake in the morning," Ducky reminded, even though he was aware that Brad knew this information. Usually the ME was calm, but finding these pills sent him in a fit of rage. Ducky tossed the pills against the nearest wall. "You've been here looking after a federal agent while taking those that could impede your performance," Ducky lectured in annoyance that could stand up to the tone Gibbs often used.

"Wait a minute," Brad responded.

"You better not dare defend yourself," Ducky cut in quickly. "If you can't handle this responsibly then I should have you dismissed," Ducky warned.

* * *

Brad had suspected to hear from the brass about disciplinary action. Ducky had an obligation to report this. He watched Emma withdraw the drip from the sleeping patient. Tony's round of antibiotics were finished and he was sleeping soundly once again. The only sign of sickness that could be seen now was the pale face and the dark circles below his eyes that the blue lights hid well.

"Brad…" Kate said as she approached the isolation chamber.

The voice pulled him back to reality. "Hey there, Kate… Thought you disappeared off the face of the Earth," he commented on her absence.

"I've been busy with some things," she answered cryptically. "How's he doing?"

"Remarkably well," Brad told her. "Tomorrow we'll be moving him out of isolation. Treatment's going extremely well, but he still needs recovery time to allow the body to heal. Especially, his immune system, though it will never come back fully, leaving him open to catch illnesses quicker than most people. He'll get them worse and not be able to fight them off the way he used to. Still, that is better than what could have happened. He has to be very careful from now on," he explained.

"Oh, knowing how Tony is he'll watch himself only to a point. I guess we'll have to watch him too. Like with my cold, I'll have to stay away from him so he doesn't catch it." She mused thoughtfully. "Can I stay here tonight?" Kate asked. Even though she'd spent the time away fighting off her cold her thoughts were never far from Tony, one way or another.

"As long as you don't give Tony that cold. Remember what I just told you and I'm going to tell your boss so he can let others at your work know," Brad answered with a hint of a laugh in his voice. Kate shook her head, smiled and then put on a mask before walking in.

"He's sleeping," Emma told her quietly as she walked out of the chamber.

Kate stood beside Tony's bed. She was thankful to no longer see tubes around his face and even the drip in his arm was gone. Tony laid there with his head fit snuggly into a couple of pillows while he quietly slept. The pale face was proof of the hell he'd been through, but he was clearly on that road to recovery. She fought against her need to hug him. She didn't want to disturb the peaceful slumber. Instead, she took the bed next to him and continuously watched her partner before lying on her back.

The lights noisily switched off, followed by the blue lights one by one. The stillness of the chamber was a far cry from a few nights ago when the coughing echoed throughout the room.

Now there was silence. She closed her eyes…

"You know this reminds me of… of the end of Alien," his voice was ragged and cracked, it was obvious that he had trouble pushing out a sentence without the need to stop midway through in order to breathe.

Kate laughed. Of course it reminded her of the movie as well. All they needed was for glass cylinders to enclose around them. "At least you didn't get the Bubonic Plague," Kate said without turning around.

Tony laughed before he coughed again. "Didn't think you knew, about Bubonic Plague," he said softly.

Kate felt bad about making him cough. "Oh, I do, I saw Flesh and Blood thanks to you. It was like a bloody porno," she said. "No wonder why that came to your mind," she replied.

"Don't blame me. I didn't force you to watch it," he managed to push out.

"You probably knew it'd get my interest," Kate responded. She was happier than she thought she'd ever be to hear her partner/friend wake up and throw out movie references.

"I was…" Tony coughed a few times as his mouth became suddenly dry. "I was sick. How was I supposed to know that?"

"I don't buy that for a second," Kate replied in a kind tone.

"Am I going to have to separate you two?" Brad's voice came over the chamber's speaker system. He wanted the patient to sleep, but it seemed that with the two of them together it wasn't going to happen to quickly. They were like a couple of kids. Brad mused.

"Sorry… Brad," Tony and Kate answered in unison.

* * *

_**BETHESDA PRIVATE WARD**_

The news of the man who survived the plague, spread like wild fire through the ward.

_This is like having people line up to see an exhibit, he mused. Lucky me, I'm a freak show. Maybe I could just charge them all, pack the money away for a rainy day. Naw, I think I'll just try and ignore it all, which won't be that easy. _He decided just to keep his eyes closed as his bed was wheeled in. He hoped that would shut them out. He could pretend that they weren't there. The whispers told him how improbable that was.

Tony spent a good part of the day feigning sleep and the terrible coughing fits. He hoped that between both, it would prevent curious and unwanted people out of his room, along with their questions._ Some are avoiding me like the plague._ He thought wryly once again as he had a small chuckle over it.

Emma came in to check Tony's vitals and wasn't surprised to find him drift in and out of sleep as his body was in recuperative mode. His eyes opened just a crack and he mumbled something incoherently.

"What's that Tony?" Emma asked.

"Pa-Papa,"

he stuttered a bit. The words were coherent now. "I want Papa," usually the tone would have sounded childishly pathetic for an adult. The hell he'd been through certainly earned him the right.

"We can find him for you," Emma said. There was no mention of Tony's family nor had they come to visit him. The only people that came to visit were the ones he worked with. This seemed like a cruel family that didn't visit their son who had the plague, Emma thought with disgust. But here Tony was, calling for his father. She had to find a way to get the family to come. "Don't worry about it," Emma told her patient while she stroked his hair like a mother would do to calm him.


	6. Chapter 6

_**CHASED BY THE SHADOWS 6**_

Ducky had received the call from Emma and it sounded as if she was troubled by something and wanted to speak with him urgently. He was never one to refuse a request from a lady. "So good for you to come so quickly Doctor Mallard," Emma said as she met up with the ME in the hallway.

"What seems to be the trouble?" Ducky sounded worried. The ME's head was consumed with the worse case scenarios that raced through his mind. "Has something happened to Anthony?"

"No," Emma answered. "It's just when I was with Tony earlier he was…well, calling for his father," she told him and was surprised by the shocked look on Ducky's face.

"Did he actually say he wanted his father?" Ducky asked her. "The two haven't had any relationship for years. And even before that, their relationship was strained and that's putting it mildly," he continued.

"I'm only relaying what he said," Emma told him. "He was quite distressed and upset."

Ducky entered into deep thought. "What did he say exactly?" He asked her. It was a strange request from Tony and Ducky wanted to make sure that what Tony was asking for was clear. That the man was indeed asking to see the father that he wasn't close to. Ducky had to be sure before he did anything. He didn't want to make matters worse if Emma had misunderstood what Tony wanted.

"Exactly?" Emma asked with confusion. Hadn't she already told the ME who Tony asked for? "Well, the exact words he used were, 'Papa, I want my papa.' I was wondering if you had any idea of how I can contact him… It might actually help with Tony's recovery," She explained.

"Or hinder it," Ducky quickly added. Something struck him. It was something that Abby had always said.

'"_Don't you kind of love it when you get sick or injured?" Abby asked in her usual over exuberant way. "Not that I mean when you get sick or injured. Nobody likes that," her run on sentences sometimes got annoying but nobody dared to say anything. "But we get to see PapaBear Gibbs. PapaBear Gibbs always takes care of his people," she eventually got to the point.'_

"Of course," Ducky said quickly, when the words finally added up. "I have to make a phone call. Excuse me please. But you see when Anthony was saying Papa he was asking for Gibbs," Ducky said proudly as he figured out the cryptic puzzle.

"His Boss?" Emma asked. Figuring out this team was like trying to figure out who built the pyramids… Everyone had their theories, but nobody would know the answer for sure.

"It'd take a week to explain," Ducky mused as he thought about all the things that needed to be explained to even receive a glimpse into the team's dynamic. "I will be back," he said.

* * *

Tony heard someone slide a chair closer to the bed. He opened his eyes to see who it was. "I didn't think you'd come back," Tony said. He was glad that Gibbs was there. "Wouldn't blame you if you didn't," he added.

"Why wouldn't I?" Gibbs asked Tony with a small sigh. "You asked for me," he waited for the coughing to subside; the older man's face was etched with concern. "You ok?" Gibbs asked as he quickly hid behind his usual mask. "Are they taking good care of you?"

"Yeah," Tony replied, eventually. It still took some work to rid his lungs of all the congestion so he was able to talk. "Hey, I have a spare key to my draws taped under my desk," he explained. Gibbs had a confused look on his face as he fought to try and come up with a reason for that statement. Instead of saying something, he thought it better to wait for Tony's reason to tell him about the key. "It's for my weapon and badge," Tony continued. "I'm out of NCIS," he reasoned.

"What makes you say that?" Gibbs asked. Of course Tony was finding a way to blame himself for everything. That was what he always did.

"I could have killed…" His voice trailed off. It was true; everyone that he cared about was in the bullpen that day. Tony couldn't believe how easily _HE_ could've killed everyone. "I could have killed everybody. I shouldn't be in the building or an agent anymore. Especially after doing what I should have known better not to do," Tony added.

"You want to quit, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked with the usual habit of sorting things out and getting straight to the heart of the matter.

"I don't want to quit. I should be sacked. I endangered everyone," he was becoming slightly agitated. "I don't know why I did it… I didn't know it had the plague, I should have known," he began stammering.

"Settle down, DiNozzo," Gibbs said to Tony as he placed a hand on his agent's shoulder.

"But boss, what if… What about if, it could've killed you," Tony wasn't listening. "Kate, McGee… I could've killed them too…. I… I," Tony's rambling was interrupted by a coughing fit, followed by him starting to hyperventilate. "I'm… Sorry," he managed to get out.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs pressed the call button for the nurse.

"If…" Tony said as he tried to sit up. "You,"

"Lie down," Gibbs ordered and requested at the same time. "We'll talk about it some other time," he attempted to reassure his man.

"Damn it," Tony cursed. That was so unlike him to do that in front of his Boss. _It is my fault._ "Your team could be-." He didn't get the chance to finish his words when Brad walked in.

"What happened?" He asked Gibbs as he fought to hold Tony down and put the mask over his face in order to help his patient's struggle to breathe. "Hold him down," Brad ordered. Usually nobody would dare bark an order at Gibbs, but this was Bethesda… This was Brad's domain. Gibbs didn't have to be asked twice. "I'll be right back," Brad said before rushing out.

"Come on Tony," Gibbs said. "You need to stop this."

Brad came running back with a needle. "Hold him still," Brad said without looking at Gibbs. He injected the syringe into Tony's arm carefully, and then withdrew it. This was an action that Brad had wanted to avoid. This was the only way he saw to calm Tony down.

"That was a sedative?" Gibbs asked him.

"Yes," Brad answered flatly. He wondered if he was going to receive some grief about it. They waited for Tony to visibly settle down. Gibbs motioned for Brad to follow him to a part of the ward that was quiet.

Brad wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen. Of course this was an altercation that was forthcoming. He knew that Doctor Mallard was obligated to report the pills to the appropriate people and Tony's boss would surely have been informed. Brad actually fought the urge to run the other way. Gibbs was an expert at silently intimidating people.

"Duck told me about what he found in your desk," Gibbs stated quietly. "Taking pills to stay awake… You know how damn dangerous that could be?" He asked the doctor in charge of his senior field agent's case.

"Now wait," Brad said while his back was against the wall.

"You're going to tell me that not sleeping isn't a way to kill patients?!" Gibbs voice was now raised. "Do you know the damage that could have caused? I don't know what kind of strings you pulled to get out of disciplinary actions… But,"

"Hang on a sec, back off," Brad tried to interrupt and just ended up giving a resigned sigh for the moment. Gibbs was refusing to listen.

"The only reason why I'm not driving you through that wall now, Doctor, is that you've treated DiNozzo well. But this is inexcusable and I'll make sure I have your license," Gibbs voice returned to a normal level.

"Are you quite done?" Brad snapped. "Back off!" He could spill his guts about things but, there was no way he'd spill everything. "I have a perfectly legal script for the provigil. But hey, if Doctor Mallard had taken the time to not blow a fuse I would've been able to explain," Brad replied as he waited for some more backlash. "I'm really shocked you'd think I'd take those pills illegally and endanger Tony… You know what? To hell with this," Brad said slowly. "To hell with you," he'd done everything he could to treat Tony and these accusations just hurt. Before anything else could be said, Brad left Gibbs standing there by himself. He decided it was best not to continue the altercation. It could have gone all day without getting anywhere.

* * *

Gibbs let an angry breath out before reentering Tony's room. He wanted to be there when Tony woke up. Specifically to assure the young man that there was only one person to blame for what happened and it wasn't him. Tony was breathing evenly in the sedated sleep. Gibbs rested his hand on Tony's forearm.

"Come on, Kid," Gibbs allowed his true thoughts to escape, something he always to keep guard of. Since there was nobody else in the room, only the two of them, he let his tight guard down. "Who'll watch my six, huh?" He said, refusing to remove his gaze from the young man.

He was only greeted with silence. As soon as he heard a nurse enter, he quickly composed himself. "Just going to check his vitals," Emma said to Gibbs as she checked her patient's blood pressure before listening to his chest to hear how congested it was. She frowned as she read the readings.

"My arm feels funny," Tony slurred as his eyes attempted to open.

"Its just nurse Emma taking your blood pressure," Gibbs said. He had noted the expression on Emma's face as she took down some notes. She wasn't about to discuss them while Tony was semi conscious.

"Nurse Emma?" Tony asked dreamily. "Thanks for bringing him," he thanked her. "We should've…" His voice trailed off. "Sorry Boss, about earlier," he said.

Gibbs shook his head. "What have I told you about apologies, DiNozzo?" He said in a soft tone. Emma walked toward the door and dimmed the lights before leaving. "Just go back to sleep," Gibbs ordered.

Tony breathed in deeply. "Going to sleep, Boss." He said. It was just about the easiest order he was ever given. "Night," was the last thing he added before silence.

* * *

_**The following morning…**_

Doctor Jones adjusted his tie before picking up Anthony DiNozzo's file again. The light brown haired man read through the file carefully as he made his way to the patient's room. Before making a sound he took a moment to admire the young man. This was the man that fought the plague and won. There looked like there was nothing spectacular about him, yet that made it even more remarkable.

"You're awake," Jones said.

"You are?" Tony asked him.

"I'm Doctor Jones… Your Doctor," He answered. "I'm here to discuss a few things with you before you're sent home," Jones explained without looking up from the file.

"Wait… Where's Brad?" Tony asked.

"I'm the Doctor now," Jones answered. "Now, I want to explain a few things to you. It's obvious you'd be more susceptible to colds and upper respiratory infections, especially since they'd turn into pneumonia. I'm sure my colleague has already spoken to you about this. So things to avoid are… Cold water. You should keep layered up during the cold weather. Don't get soaking wet while fully clothed," Jones shuffled through his notebook. "You have to try and avoid people with colds and the flu and other diseases…"

"But I can still breathe right?" Tony smirked.

Jones was clearly not amused. "This isn't a funny matter. Right now your immune system's low. And, with how your body is right now, a good dose of the flu or like I said, other diseases, can easily turn into pneumonia. This would be difficult for your body to fight off and, probably it would be deadly," Jones warned seriously. "If you're not careful… You'd be very lucky to end up back in the isolation chamber or the morgue," he concluded.

Tony raised his eyebrow as he rubbed the back of the neck. His smirk was long gone since the Doctor began giving him a very grim outlook. The picture painted wasn't a good one at all. "Gotcha Doctor Jones," Tony replied.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: I must give a thanks to my good mate Sue... Who's more than a sounding board. I am the words and the ideas and she's my penmanship.**_

_**Chased By The Shadows 7**_

Tony studied the disgusting hospital food intently and began to use the knife to play with it. The thought of eating was repulsive and made his stomach churn. . The mashed potatoes were as lumpy as oatmeal and almost just as revolting. He put the knife down on the table before pushing the whole thing away. He wasn't going to eat.

"The Doctor said that you must eat. You have to start building your strength back up, my dear boy," Ducky said after he observed Tony's actions.

"I don't like the new Doctor," Tony replied.

"It is apparent that Doctor Jones is lacking in the bedside manner department," Ducky said as he sat down. "He is straightforward," he continued.

"What happened to Brad?" Tony asked as he tried to eat some of the food to appease the ME. It tasted as bad as it looked. Maybe he'd just take a few bites and pick around to make it look like more was eaten.

"What's with the new Doctor?" He asked once again, when he didn't get a response. Ducky's silence said more than any words could. "Its just I really don't like Doctor Jones," Tony reiterated that fact. He needed to make sure that Ducky understood what he was saying. "What I'm saying… Is … I want Brad as my Doctor," he explained, the last part spoken with more determination when he still didn't get an answer from Ducky.

"I don't think that's possible Anthony," Ducky grimaced slightly.

Shortly after Brad's confrontation with Gibbs, Brad had removed himself as Tony's Doctor. That was when Doctor Jones had taken over.

"I knew there was a reason my ears were burning," Brad said as he walked in. He deliberately avoided looking at the ME. "I just came for a visit to see how you were doing, Tony," he observed the other man carefully as he rested his hands in front of him. Tony still looked weak.

Tony adjusted his position on the bed. "You're not staying?" Tony asked.

"I have a couple of patients to see," Brad answered with a smile. "I hear you're going home in a couple of days," he said cheerfully. "Did Doctor Jones explain things clearly to you?" he questioned.

Tony nodded slowly. "He made things perfectly clear," he answered seriously. It was abundantly clear how dangerous things could become concerning his health.

Tony waited before continuing. "So, what happened? Why aren't you the doctor on my case anymore?" He asked the million dollar question and wondered if once again the subject would be dropped.

For the first time since entering Brad glanced over to Ducky but no words were spoken. "That's not important," Brad answered without giving anything away. "Doctor Jones is a very capable and skilled Doctor…" He assured Tony.

"He's an asshole," Tony commented with a huff, still not understanding why his doctor had changed or why no one would tell him the reason.

"Yeah, he can be an asshole," Brad smiled in agreement. "Just listen to what he has to say, Tony." Brad said, hoping he'd convinced his ex-patient, yet knowing he hadn't.

"Would it help matters if I told you I wanted you to stay as my Doctor?" Tony hopefully asked.

Ducky's head lulled to one side as he listened to the conversation. He felt badly and knew there'd be more questions ahead and wondered how hard Tony would push things.

"I doubt it," Brad responded somewhat coldly.

"When I was in the chamber…" Tony lowered his head. "I trusted you to look after me and you did… That's one for the books huh? Buckeye and a Wolverine on the same page," Tony smiled, still not understanding what was going on. The investigator in him wanted to find out, only he felt too tired. Maybe later, he thought sleepily.

Brad laughed. "Yeah, it's something to tell them at reunions," he said. "I know what you're saying Tony, I do, but this is how it has to be," Brad continued cryptically. He was surprised that they hadn't told Tony what had happened and wondered too, how long it would take for Tony to ask and demand an answer. For now it was better this way. Brad bid farewell and quickly left to see his other patients.

* * *

_**NCIS HQ**_

Ducky met up with Gibbs in the Bullpen. He had gone straight there after visiting Tony. He was reporting to Gibbs just like he had said he would. After all it was his duty as a friend. However, this was going to be one of those many times when what he had to say wasn't something Gibbs wanted to hear.

"How's he doing Ducky?" Gibbs asked Ducky as he stood in front of his desk. He immediately noted the grim look on the ME's face.

"The dear boy is doing really well," Ducky put Gibbs' fears to rest.

That was good to hear. Only Gibbs knew his old friend and, the look he saw on the older man's face said there was something more. "I'm not going to like this am I?" Gibbs asked as he gave Ducky his full attention.

"Well, I don't think so Jethro," Ducky treaded carefully. "You know that Anthony has a new Doctor," he continued slowly and watched Gibbs deadpan expression change slightly. "Doctor Jones is a good doctor, don't misunderstand that. His bedside manner is seriously lacking… You know that doctor's were taught that bedside manners were important to help keep the patients at ease and relaxed… You realize that the first official recording of the medical bedside manner was from a Doctor…" Ducky began a longwinded explanation.

"What is the point?" Gibbs asked cutting his old friend off in order to get to the answer.

"Yes, right, the point… There was a certain bond between Anthony and Doctor Pitt," Ducky saw that Gibbs was about to interject with what they knew. "I know Jethro. But Anthony and Doctor Pitt had a history and it's apparent that he had a bit of an ease with him. This is something Anthony doesn't have with the new Doctor and wants Doctor Pitt back as his doctor," Ducky concluded.

"What do _you _think?" Gibbs asked for both the professional and personal opinion.

"I think young Anthony's continual recovery and any treatment that may arise in the future could very well depend on having a Doctor he trusts," Ducky gave the ex-marine a no-nonsense response.

Gibbs sighed as he thought hard for a moment before licking his lips. What he had said was right, but he had his senior field agent's mental state to consider too. "Ah hell," he growled a little. "Get him back," he said in a tone of resignation.

"How?" Ducky asked.

"I don't know Ducky," Gibbs answered. "Do what you have to… But I will not take back what I said," he warned, allowing Ducky to know what avenue not to take.

"I'll get right on it, Jethro," Ducky replied before leaving once again.

* * *

_**Bethesda Hospital.**_

"Ah, Doctor Pitt," Ducky had gotten the attention of the younger doctor. "Is there somewhere, where we can sit and talk?"

Brad checked his watch which indicated that he didn't have a lot of time to spare. "I have some time. Come this way," he motioned.

Brad led Ducky into a small waiting area and they sat down. "Thank you Doctor Pitt," Ducky said pleasantly. "I'm here to request that you be Anthony's treating Doctor again. It's clear that he needs you," Ducky stated the obvious.

Brad leaned his head back. "I would like to but, I think you and Agent Gibbs have made your feelings quite clear about me," he said. They certainly had and it hurt. That was the reason he had asked his colleague, Doctor Jones to take over Tony's case. "So excuse me if I'm not that eager to work near either of you," he added.

Ducky didn't change his expression. "Would you care to at least tell me why you thought it a good idea to take pills to stay awake?" Ducky asked.

"If you two gave me a chance to explain I'd have explained it before," Brad answered. "But I guess it doesn't really matter now," he sighed and conceded to the explanation. "But here goes. Provigil wasn't to keep me awake but to help wake me up," Brad explained without facing the ME. "I've been diagnosed with Excessive Sleepiness brought on by Shift Work Sleep Disorder. I have problems waking up," he said with a wry smile.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ducky inquired.

"A… You really never gave me the chance. B… I was really angry. The accusations hurt. C… It's personal, embarrassing and had no bearing on my job whatsoever," Brad listed his reasons. It was simple when you thought about it.

Ducky stood up suddenly. "Jethro, Anthony and I want you back as his doctor, Doctor Pitt… "I should have given you the chance to explain your situation. I must apologize for my actions and for my anger. I can assure you that I truly understand now and hope that you can forgive what was done. You did a superb job with Anthony and we'd like to see that continue. What do you say?" He asked.

"I don't know," Brad answered as he checked his watch again. "I have somewhere to be," he stood up. "I'll take it under advisement," Brad schooled his face as to not give anything away.

Ducky was left wondering whether or not his words had gotten through to the young doctor. There was the temptation to hound Doctor Pitt for an answer one way or the other. He figured that would have the opposite effect and make the Doctor turn them down right away. Maybe the doctor had already decided and was leaving them to stew in their own juices as a form of personal punishment.

* * *

_**Tony's room… Later**_

Tony was propped up with a few pillows and the top of the bed raised so he could sit.

"I hear you maybe going home soon," Kate said as she walked around the room. "Bet you're pleased with that," Tony just grunted in response. "I thought you'd be happy. Don't tell me you're going to miss the nurses," Kate observed his lack of enthusiasm.

"Yeah," Tony responded absently. He liked the nurses. It was every guy's dream to be waited on by the nurses.

Kate went into contemplation. Old habits died hard and she was about to fall into her old pattern of taking Tony at face value. Fortunately, she was able to stop herself from doing that. "Nervous about going home?" She asked. Brad had informed her about his susceptibility to lung infections due to the damage caused by the Y-Pestis. She wondered if that could be part of the reason. She almost asked, but instead, waited to see what Tony would say.

Tony shrugged what she said off, in his usual way. "The new Doctor… Doctor Cheery, has told me a few things," he answered. The conversation wasn't a nice one to remember. "I guess you don't know what happened to Brad do you?" Tony changed the subject and hoped he could get the real reason out of Kate. She probably had heard at the office. Nobody had answered him and he had asked, but not hard enough. He had been too weak at the time and hadn't pushed.

"Nobody's mentioned it to me," Kate answered. "I guess they assumed that I'd tell you," which probably would've been a correct assumption, "guess there had to be a reason," she responded.

"So, how's it been at the office?" Tony hadn't even thought about the Bullpen until today. He'd been to sick and exhausted, while his body worked to get better. He wondered what kind of mumbo jumbo McGee was saying to annoy Gibbs. And he also wondered what the new scuttlebutt was that was going around, besides him contracting Y-Pestis.

"Things have been relatively quiet,"_ everything would have been relatively quiet after all this,_ Kate mused to herself. "We've been investigating a small arms heist," she laid the case out to him and explained how it seemed like an open and shut case. Greed seemed the more likely motive rather than political.

"Sounds interesting," Tony failed at keeping down a yawn. The sudden intake of oxygen induced the continual hack.

"Are you ok?" Kate asked while she poured him a glass of water. Sometimes at night, when she was quiet and alone, she could hear the echoes bounce around of coughing. She swore he was in the room with her, only to realize it was her fears from that one night, playing in her mind.

Tony almost spilt the contents of the glass. The coughing still took a lot out of him. "Yeah," he answered unconvincingly.

Kate put a straw in the glass and held it close to Tony so he could drink without spilling the liquid. "Better?" She asked.

Tony gave a small-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He'd been fighting off sleep especially when it came to having company. "Just a little tired I guess," Tony answered eventually. "You know you'd really look cute in a short white dress with a stethoscope, Nurse Katie," he said with a wicked grin. "Wanna be my nurse?"

"I'm not going to fulfill any of your nurse fantasies, Tony," Kate replied a bit curtly. Maybe things were destined to never change. "You should really get some sleep," she observed the dark circles under his eyes and the haggard look on his face.

"She's right you know," A familiar voice interrupted them. "How come every time you two get together… I have problem getting him to sleep," Brad asked as he slipped through the door. "How's it going Kate?" He asked her.

"What brings you down this way, Brad?" Tony asked.

Brad looked through the file. "I'm checking on my patient," he said as if there was nothing amiss. A small inaudible groan escaped Brad's lips. "Your blood pressure is still a little higher than normal," he observed the recorded vitals. "Temperature's normal," he continued. "Oh yeah, I don't think you'll have to worry about Doctor Jones again."

Tony nodded his approval at that statement. "So what happened to you anyway?" He asked once again.

"Nothing to concern yourself with," Brad said. "I must say this though… Your boss can be a bit of a bastard," he laughed trying to convince Tony and Kate that he was only joking.

"That's what the second B is for," Tony and Kate answered in unison.

"Surround sound," Brad smiled. "I think we can safely send you home in a day or so barring any drastic change of your vitals. You're stable. Again I have to reiterate the importance of looking out for yourself," Brad said in a nice manner. "Your lungs are permanently scarred. You're going to have problems for the rest of your life, so you have to be careful. But for the next couple of month, more so. We don't want to have you back here. And, regular check ups which means we'll be getting to know each other a lot better." Brad chuckled and then smiled at Tony, knowing exactly who he was dealing with and what he'd expect. "I can give you a list of dos and don'ts if you like," he added, teasingly, knowing the answer.

"No, I think I've got it," Tony said.

"And we'll make sure he does it," Kate answered, knowing like Brad just how bad Tony was at taking care of his own health.

"Good," Brad responded. "Now, you really look like you need to sleep, Tony," he told him. "I think you should let him rest, Kate," he said to give the hint for her to leave.

"Thanks Brad," Tony adjusted him self on the bed so he was lying down.

"For getting rid of Kate?" Brad asked with his eyebrow raised, trying to hide a smile.

"For coming back," Tony replied. He felt comfortable with the Doctor. After all, he'd been there through it all. Brad understood exactly what he'd gone through. He trusted the doctor and could easily start calling him friend. Doctor no personality Jones only had notes to read through.

"Don't worry about it," Brad tapped him on the leg. "I'll talk with you in the morning," he and Kate left the room to allow Tony the rest he desperately needed.

* * *

**_A/N: Next chapter preview... Tony goes home, but will things be the same?_**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chased By The Shadows 8**_

_**Spoiler Alert (Alfred Hitchcock's The Rope)**_

Tony felt good to finally be out of the hospital and about to go into his apartment. Abby and Kate stood on either side of him, while in front to them, Ducky and Gibbs held the younger man's bags.

"You alright DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked while he observed how quiet the senior field agent was.

"Just fine Boss," Tony answered. He stared at his bags in the hands of his boss and the older colleague, and then, overdramatically sighed. "Maybe I should…" he began to say before Gibbs turned around gave a narrowed eyed stare.

"You even think about trying to get these bags and I'll slap you so hard your children will feel it!" Gibbs responded quickly easily reading the Tony.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Boss," Tony quickly changed his tune, familiar with many of his boss's sayings.

Ducky and Gibbs exchanged glances while Gibbs pushed in his spare key to the front door. "Sit down," Gibbs commanded pointing to the couch. "We're fixing you some lunch,"

"But Boss," Tony realized. "I don't think I have anything edible." Anything that was in his fridge was likely fuzzy and covered with mold.

"We went shopping!" Abby suddenly exclaimed. She always found excitement in everything and bounced around Tony with a huge grin that brightened her face. "We all chipped in."

"How much do I owe all of you?" Tony asked. Later, he'd be able to see what exactly was in his fridge and cupboards. He wondered what they had bought.

"Cut it out DiNozzo," Gibbs voice carried from the kitchen. "Sit there and behave yourself," he ordered.

"How about a movie?" Kate asked as she went into his DVD collection and looking for a movie that he should like. She fanned her fingers over the DVDs and it struck her that this was the first time that she had seen Tony's movie collection. It has been often said you can judge a person by their book collection so it had to also be true with a movie collection.

"There must be something there that jumps out at you," Tony cleared his throat. His voice was beginning to sound a little scratchy.

"Drink this Anthony," Ducky handed him a glass of water. "Your throat sounds dry," he said before returning to the kitchen.

"Thanks Ducky," Tony said.

"What's The Rope?" Abby asked since she was now down with Kate, looking through the collection.

"Alfred Hitchcock classic," he answered. "Two friends try to get away with murder while they were having a dinner party… You should like that Abbs," Tony smirked. "It's a story of wits and theology," Tony said.

"Think you gave away the ending there Tony," Kate went to place the movie back into its slot.

Tony couldn't help but laugh lightly. "They show the murder in the opening scene," he told her. "So basically, no spoilers there," he explained..

"Shall we put it on?" Abby asked.

"Don't ask me," Tony answered. "I only live here," he joked again before coughing. Just when he thought it was over it started again. He felt a hand thump against his back to help him bring out some of the congestion still trapped within his lungs. Brad had specifically advised him of this occurrence. He used tissues to cover his mouth before putting them into the trash can. "You know who I feel like?" Tony asked with a smile.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Kate responded.

"Doc Holiday," Tony answered with a wry smile. "Most notably portrayed by Val Kilmer in Tombstone but also played by Dennis Quaid," he said. "I personally prefer Val Kilmer's Doc," he added.

The Rope started with the murder of a friend. Just as Tony said it would. Right from the word go it was just a matter of trying to cover it up and the rest of the movie they spent cockily trying to hide their deeds in plain sight.

* * *

Tony woke up. He was still on the couch and had been snugly, snoozing under the covers. Kate watched him sit up. "Where is everyone?" He looked around. There were no signs of the others.

"After you fell asleep. They decided to leave so you can sleep peacefully," Kate answered as she went into the kitchen.

"And you?" Tony asked.

Kate brought back the bowl of Chicken Caesar salad that Tony wasn't able to finish earlier. "I was under strict orders to make sure you eat this all up upon waking," she told him.

Tony took the bowl and studied it for awhile. "Thanks," he said unenthusiastically but knew if he'd refuse the next person to open his door would be Gibbs coming to slap him into next week. "Looks great," that too was unconvincing.

"How are you feeling?" Kate asked as she sat down.

"I am fine," Tony answered. It wasn't a total lie but he was still feeling pretty lethargic and tired. That was another thing he was told. Sleeping was a way for his body to recuperate from the damage caused by the Y-pestis.

Kate eyed him suspiciously. "Alright, so I still feel weak," Tony resigned and told her more of the truth. "Did Ducky, Abbs and Gibbs seem pissed that I was asleep and didn't say good-bye?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"No," Kate replied as she fought back a laugh. "They were glad that you were getting some rest. They made sure _not_ to wake you," she said.

Tony forcibly finished the salad and put the empty bowl down. "Can I tell you something?" Tony asked out of the blue. "I know you should be leaving soon, but do you mind?" he drunk some more water.

"Sure Tony, what is it?" she answered cautiously. There was something about the tone that told her this was a time to be serious.

Tony swallowed before continuing. He never thought about talking seriously with Kate. Being at death's door had changed his outlook to a degree. "Thank you for staying with me, Kate," he said, thinking about the time spent in the isolation chamber. "You shouldn't have… I'm glad you did though," Tony kept his attention on the water glass. "I don't think I'd have made it without you… Thanks for being you," he finished and felt so different than he usually did when he talked to Kate. This was different. It was a confession of truth, feeling and gratitude, not the banter and hiding that they normally did.

"Gibbs was the one who talked to you when I thought…" Kate swallowed, "I thought you were dying. It was he who brought you back from the brink," she explained feebly. "I had given up," Kate concluded, her face red with the shame of her admittance.

"But it was you who kept my spirits up for as long as you did… Without you, I'd probably have been dead before Gibbs got to me," Tony responded honestly, hoping she believed him. "Christ, we're like two peas in a pod aren't we?"

"What?" Kate looked up a little confused.

"Well, I thank you and you brush it off as if it was nothing," Tony answered trying not to laugh. "We seem to have a real problem accepting praise don't we? I mean, I thank you and you quickly deflect it off, changing the subject, not as bad as I do. Stiiillll, well, you know its part of a cover, way with one another." He explained the reason behind the previous statement. Sure, it seemed that's what they always did.

"Now that's a scary thought," Kate smiled, afraid and not wanting to get into the deep subject that Tony had just barely opened. She checked her watch. "I'm really sorry Tony, but I have to get going back to work," she said. "If you need anything, call me."

Tony smirked as he recalled all the numbers he had to call if he needed anything or if there were any problems. There was definitely no shortage of people out there willing to assist with his recovery. It was touching.

"Thanks Kate," he smiled as he stood up to show her the door. "Say hi to everyone at work for me," Tony asked of her.

"I certainly will." Kate told him.. "Look after yourself. Ok? I'm sure that Gibbs would want me to tell you that," she really hoped he would do as the doctor had instructed him to. Take the precautions that Brad had explained in order to take better care and not have a relapse. The only sure that he was doing it was with regular visits.

"I promise I will, Kate." Tony said as she left.

* * *

_**Two Days Later**_

The coughing was still there, but not as severe. There was a continuous struggle to keep his throat from becoming too dry, which ended up with him drinking a lot of water. Tony slowly walked back into the dining area and placed the bundle of letters that had accumulated during his absence on the table.

He was about to begin opening one of the letters, but his heart slowed, his breathing became irregular. The warnings of the anxiety he felt. It didn't escape him that the last time he opened a letter it released the spray of powder that almost took his life. The memory was still so vivid… So damn vivid. Tony couldn't stop himself from staring at the letters with contempt and fear.

A knock on the door broke Tony out of his train of thought allowing him to calm down a little. He answered it and allowed Kate to enter.

"I just came to see how you were doing," Kate explained her visit.

It was impossible to miss the pile of letters on the table. "Going through your mail?" She asked seeing with an expert eye that none had been opened.

"Not really," Tony answered, not able to take his eyes off of those very letters.

Kate went shuffled through them. It was mainly junk mail and a couple of bills. She quickly noted Tony's agitation. "You're not going to open them?" She asked.

"Abby's coming by later to take them in for testing," Tony quietly told his partner.

At first Kate thought that Tony had to be kidding when he told her. That thought quickly dissipated when she noticed the serious look on his face.

"Come on, Tony," Kate responded as she lifted one up to show him.

"No… Don't open it! What if it's," Tony virtually was screaming at her, trying to grab the letter away so it wouldn't be opened. The minute she opened the letter he took a step back, his eyes widened.

"What's the chances of you getting a contaminated letter twice?" Kate asked. "Tony? Breathe," she ordered calmly.

Tony felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest making it hard to take a breath. He felt the panic take away his control, his breathing became forced.

Tony hadn't realized how convinced he was that the letters had been sent to finish the job. "I can't believe you did that!" He exclaimed while he desperately pulled hard at the air around him.

"Talk to me, Tony," Kate wanted to take Tony's mind off of his breathing so it would become regular. She saw how he was fighting for the air and the anxiety that was clearly seen in his face and body.

"What do you want me to say Kate?" Tony suddenly asked angrily, "you want me to tell you about how I can hardly make it to the mail box and back without running out of breath?" Tony wasn't sure why he was angry or who he was angry at. "you want me to talk about how every time I look at a letter I'm sure it contains the plague? You want me to tell you how I could have killed everybody, how scared that makes me?" His voice was raised more. "Or how about how you risked your own life to be there for me? Everybody I care about is at NCIS and I could have killed them and I don't even know why-----I don't know --- why you were there. I don't know why I took the letter," he said, the tone, again became unsteady and filled with panic. He felt light headed and tried not to cough. He quickly lost the battle and was soon doubled over, hacking as the fear rose inside.

"Tony!" Kate yelled and eased him onto the couch. "You have to breathe for me," she coaxed.

He hadn't felt a coughing fit this bad since the isolation chamber. He knew he wasn't getting enough oxygen when black spots appeared to take over his vision.. He couldn't stop it. Thankfully, after awhile, the coughing and fear started to subside. Words that had become familiar to him while at the hospital were repeated to him like a mantra.

"Lie down, Tony," Kate told him and frowned when Tony didn't offer any argument. It only proved that he was felt horrible. "Nobody blames you for this Tony," she attempted to assure him. She hoped that he had heard her and believed it. "I am sorry," Kate said gently and stroked his forehead to calm him down.

"For what?" Tony asked weakly, the heaviness left his chest, the panic lessened and sleep fought for his attention.

"For the letters… I should have realized," Kate mentally kicked herself for pulling such a stunt. All she wanted to do was show Tony that there was nothing in the letters to hurt him, perhaps she took it too far._ Gibbs is going to have a hissing fit._ She thought to herself.

"Hmm," Tony moaned in response… Already almost asleep.

* * *

A/N: Special thanks to my little Kangaroo Paw. You know who you are. LOL and am sure she'll love the Doc Holiday reference.  
Sorry no next chapter preview again


	9. Chapter 9

'_Just take a look around you… At the world you've come to know. Does it seem to be much more than a hehe crazy circus show? But maybe from the madness! Something beautiful will grow…' _**Artillery Man – Brave New World – War of The Worlds Musical.**

* * *

The monitor flickered as Kate rapped her fingers lightly on the keyboard as her mind drifted back to Tony. A month ago, she'd never have guessed how much she would worry about him. The screen stayed unmoving as she was too lost in thought to offer any attention to what she was doing. _I was doing the right thing. It wasn't my fault._ Kate told herself and tried to be convincing. This was the thing she was saying over and over. Tony had an anxiety attack over her opening the letters. In hindsight, it wasn't the best thing to do but she thought she was helping. The incident made Tony worse and it took ages to settle him down afterwards.

"Kate!" Gibbs shouted to get her attention. "This is the third time I've called you," Gibbs said impatiently. He had said her name a couple of times before shouting but wasn't able to pull her out of the daze Kate was in.

Kate rested her cheek in her hand but still remained silent.

"Have you finished your work?" Gibbs asked.

"No," came out the strangled reply.

McGee looked up from his monitor and watched what was going on. All afternoon, Kate had been acting dreamy. Surely Gibbs had noted that earlier. McGee tried to pluck enough courage to try and find out why Kate was so silent. If it was concerning Tony she would've said something to Gibbs or just called in with the news.

"McGee," Gibbs turned his attention to him. "It's time you had a break," he said but it wasn't a suggestion.

"Um, what about," McGee began to say as he looked sympathetically in Kate's direction. Her gaze hadn't shifted away from where it was.

"I was talking to you McGee. Get out of here," his voice sounded annoyed.

"Yes Boss," McGee dared not argue.

Gibbs made sure McGee was out of sight before standing up. "Kate?" He made his way to her desk. In response to his approach, she quickly looked away. "Kate," he squeezed her shoulder and tried to get her to spin around.

Kate sniffed and wiped her cheek hastily. "I'm sorry Gibbs, I'll get to it right away," she said after attempting to compose her self.

Gibbs sighed and wondered is she was picking this learned behavior from Tony or whether it was there all along. "That can wait," Gibbs told her gently. He kept the hand on her shoulder. They rose and fell quickly. "Well?" He prodded for her to talk. "Is it DiNozzo?" If it was something he should know he'd assumed that he would've been informed already.

Kate refused to turn around. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and did her best to hide them. "I am fine," she choked out as her tone betrayed that statement. It was obvious that Gibbs wasn't buying that for a second.

"Kate," his voice was more firm but wasn't unkind. "Is Tony alright?" He asked.

"Tony's so angry at everything," she said. "I'm really worried about him. Thought I never would be but I am and he just seems so hurt… On top of that I did something really stupid. But that's not the worst thing… The worse of it is that I actually don't feel bad about doing it… Of course it had a terrible effect and that what makes it so bad," she sniffed and her voice quivered.

To show how deeply he cared, Gibbs maneuvered Kate's head so it rested against his chest. It was obvious that even though she was distraught, she was self conscious enough to only quietly sob into his shirt. "What did you do Kate?" He asked softly.

"I knew Tony was distressed about opening his mail, said he wanted to have it tested," Kate continued. "I opened up the letter to show him that there was nothing there and he went into panic mode," she continued in between sobs.

"I'd have done the same thing Kate," Gibbs responded. "It's ok. Why don't you leave work early?"

"But," Kate was about to argue.

Gibbs didn't say anything but silently told her that it was alright to go. There was nothing that couldn't be held off until another day. "It's ok Kate," Gibbs told her softly.

Kate wiped her eyes again. "I'm really sorry Gibbs," she said, mainly out of embarrassment for crying on him.

"Saying sorry is a sign of weakness," Gibbs waved her off and put the coat on her shoulders. "Go home," he said.

"Saying sorry is a weakness but crying isn't?" Kate scoffed.

"I know how much you're concerned about DiNozzo. So I'll let it slide for now," Gibbs said with a slight smile to show her it was just a small joke. Kate nodded before leaving the bullpen. _Damn it, DiNozzo. You better come back soon._ Gibbs thought. He would've never thought that Kate would act like this about Tony.

* * *

As soon as Kate got down to the parking garage her cell rung and she answered it. "Agent Todd," she said. The sound of heavy breathing was the only response followed by a couple of weak sounding coughs. "Tony?" After all, who else would sound like that.

"Kate… I'm at Lincoln Park…" Tony fought hard to catch his breath. "Sitting down." There was a small coughing fit. "I need, for you to come… and get me," he eventually got out.

"I'm on my way," Kate said.

"Don't tell… anyone," His voice was pleading. "Gibbs'll kill me… I understand (cough) if you can't help it," he added.

Kate thought for a moment. Perhaps this was something she should tell Gibbs about but fought the natural urge. "I'm already on my way out," Kate told him. "Just stay there," she ordered.

"Wasn't thinking of going anywhere," Tony replied. She could hear the smile he was trying to force out.

Lincoln Park was relatively quiet and for that, Tony was very thankful. It meant that he was able to sit on the bench and get his breathing back to normal. It had only been a short walk from his apartment but it had taken everything out of him. His body had begun trembling and he was only barely able to make it to the bench. That was over half an hour ago.

Tony had no idea how much time had passed since the phone call. There was a sigh of relief as he heard Kate's voice call out, "Tony!" She shouted as soon as she saw him. "Are you alright? Come on let's get you to the car," Kate said.

* * *

_**Tony's apartment**_

Tony muttered something as Kate helped him to his feet and supported him inconspicuously on the way to the apartment. Neither of them wanted to make a big deal out of it. It wasn't long till they were in the comfort of his home. "Strip, shower, pajamas… Bed," Kate ordered in a no nonsense manner.

The fact that she received no juvenile sexist comment proved to her that Tony wasn't exactly feeling right. _I'll check on him now… After, after the shower. After he's in his pajamas._ Kate thought with a shocked expression. _Why can't I think straight?_ She deduced that it had to be the concern she felt for him.

"Hey," Kate walked into the bedroom where Tony was just lying back. "You feeling better?" It wasn't hard to notice how pale he looked.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she placed the back of her hand against his forehead.

"Checking for a fever," Kate said. Tony definitely had one.

"I thought you weren't going to fulfill my nurse patient fantasy," Tony gave a halfhearted grin. That grin was met with a frown.

"I'm going to call Ducky," Kate said.

"No!" Tony said. "I'm fine… I'm good. If you call Ducky, he'll tell Gibbs and Gibbs will have my hide," he said with some mild panic.

Any other time, Kate wouldn't have listened. The last thing she wanted to do was bring on another anxiety attack so she decided not to call Ducky but called Brad instead. But if he was unable to come, Kate would resort to calling in whoever she had to. "Alright Tony, I won't call Ducky unless I have to," she said.

* * *

"Thanks for coming Brad," Kate said to Brad.

She was thankful when Brad had turned up at the door. "I don't usually make house calls," he smiled at her. "But I thought that I'd make an exception."

Kate showed the doctor to Tony's room and he entered. "You didn't really need to bother," Tony said as soon as he woke up.

Brad sighed. Ever since Tony started feeling better, his stubbornness had returned. "I'm here for a house call," Brad said cheerily. Any efforts to convince Brad that he was fine were betrayed by his pale face and raspy voice. "So what brought this on?" Brad asked.

"Nothing really," Tony clearly lied to avoid being chastised. Brad looked into his eyes until Tony changed the story. "I went for a walk because I was sick of being cooped up all the time. So I went for a walk to the park," Tony explained.

"mm-hmm," Brad replied. "I take it you went alone. Let me guess what happened next… You had to call somebody to come and get you," he continued but his mood was light as he put the thermometer in the mouth and took the blood pressure reading.

"Yeah," Tony said.

"Am I going to have to take you back to Bethesda? Or maybe break your leg agan to keep you from doing this again?" Brad asked in a non serious tone but just harsh enough to get the point across. He frowned at the readings.

"That bad, Brad?" Tony asked.

"Not, bad bad," Brad replied. "You have a slight fever and your BP is a little higher than I would like," he used the stethoscope to listen to Tony's rattling breathing. "Hmm," Brad said. "You've been coughing much?"

"Not a lot actually," Tony answered. "Not except for when I was out," he added.

"Not good," Brad replied as he left the room. "I'll be right back."

Kate observed the goings on with some confusion as he went straight for the pantry and started rifling through it. Eventually he pulled something out of the cupboard and placed it on a cutting board and took a knife to it. "Does he keep whiskey here?" Brad turned and asked.

Kate nodded as she went and got a bottle from the cabinet. "What you going to do?" She asked.

Brad found a glass and poured a shot glass portion of whiskey into it. Kate followed him to Tony's room. "I think it would be best if you wait out here," he told her in a flat tone. She wanted to argue but knew it would be a lost cause.

"Alright," Kate answered. Not exactly sure at what's going on as she watched Brad enter the room and shut the door. She sat at the kitchen table and tried to stop herself from imagining what possibly could be going on. Brad had a real serious look on his face when he went back in.

* * *

She heard a couple of small coughs and something that was akin to someone banging on a wall before the coughing quickly intensified into the large hacking coughs that reminded her of the chamber. Any thought rushing in was cut short by the door being opened and Gibbs rushed in.

"Doctor Pitt's in there with him," she stopped Gibbs from forcefully entering. Kate had to speak over the coughing. The sound was making her feel scared but she was sure that Brad had some reason for inducing the horribly sounding cough. "Was told to wait out here," she added.

Finally the coughing subsided to quiet end. Gibbs opened the door right away and entered the darkened room. "What happened?" He went to ask.

Brad tapped Tony on the shoulder. "We should leave and let him sleep," Brad said as he pulled the covers up and left the bedroom alongside Gibbs. "Tony needs it," he added.

"So what happened?" Gibbs pressed again as Brad closed the door quietly.

"I was doing a routine checkup," Brad answered.

"That didn't sound like a routine checkup," Gibbs said, referring to the coughing that he'd walked in on.

Brad stopped momentarily before responding. "You can ask him when he wakes up," he answered. "Tony is my patient… I can't break doctor patient confidentiality," Brad said as he closed the bag.

"Like hell," Gibbs tone flared in anger.

"I know how much of a stickler you are for protocol," Brad half joked but was half serious as well. "Hey!" Brad called out as he was held up against the wall with Gibbs' forearm across the throat.

"Stop it!" Kate yelled. "Just stop it… You both think you're helping? You both are too busy taking part in a pissing contest. You should know better Gibbs… In fact both of you get out and the next time you come, you can leave your testosterone at the door," Kate let fly with her anger. "Get out… Both of you," she said, stopping short of stomping her feet to accentuate the point.

Gibbs was about to argue but was only met by a finger pointing to the door. He somehow knew that right now, any argument would be useless with Kate as pissed off as she was. "Keep me updated," Gibbs said but she didn't respond with words.

Kate snuck into Tony's bedroom to place a bottle of water on his bedside table. She thought she was quiet enough as to not disturb him. "Can you get my toothpaste and brush, please," Tony said quietly.

"Sure," Kate said as she went to the bathroom.

She returned with a brush and glass of water in hand. "Thanks," he said with a small croak in his voice. "Did I hear Gibbs?"

Kate nodded as Tony brushed his teeth harshly. "Yeah," she said.

"Did I hear you kick Brad and Gibbs to get out?" Tony asked. It did sound funny really as he asked it.

"Yeah," Kate repeated.

"You still don't want to tell me what's going on?" Tony asked in between movements. "They can't seem to stand being in the same room together," he observed.

"I haven't been told much… All I know is there was some sort of altercation between the two and since then they've been at odds," Kate answered as best as she could. She was definitely kept in the dark concerning whatever that was about.

Tony rinsed his mouth out with the glass of water. "That's better," he said.

"Are you alright?" Kate asked.

"Was having problems getting the stuff out... I always thought that in the movie... The Stuff was white," Tony answered as he cleared his throat. "Brad soon helped that with some raw garlic and whiskey," he smiled. "But feel somewhat ok now… Just tired." He tried to put up a cheery front… But he felt too exhausted to maintain the DiNozzo mask.

"I'll let you sleep. Call if you need anything," Kate said to him. "I'll just be outside," she told him.

"Kate," Tony said quietly as he fought the drowsiness that was engulfing him. She looked at him waiting for Tony to say something else. "Why'd you stay? You know in the… chamber? Glad you did, you could've died though." He said even quietly.

"I love you," Kate answered.

-----


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chased By The Shadows 10**_

Tony stretched as he yawned. He'd been feeling better since Brad gave him that mixture from hell previously. With the blinds being closed it was impossible to fathom whether it was day or night so he opened it up for his first look. It was a bright sunny morning. Tony coughed a few times but was pleasantly surprised to how clear it sounded. _It must have worked._

The first thing he noticed that Kate's head was slumped over the dining room table with her arm resting over the folder and she was sleeping quietly. Curiosity always managed to overpower his common sense. Tony reached over and cautiously slid the folder to him. Sure, it was wrong to read it. After all Kate had done a lot for him, probably more than any woman ever should.

Tony ran his fingers over the top of the notebook as if trying to read its words via telepathy. Kate woke up and her eyes widened once she noticed her notebook in the hands of Tony DiNozzo. "Tony…" She was almost pleading but knew it was too late.

"You want some breakfast?" Tony asked as he went into the kitchen.

"You're sounding better," Kate observed. "I understand that you're really angry… But I can explain," she said starting to enter panic mode. He had every reason to be angry with her. "I was,"

Tony raised his hand up for her to stop there. "I didn't read it, Kate," Tony interrupted quickly before Kate could say something that she would regret it. "So stop there," he added.

"I've got get home and showered and face Gibbs," she winced. The thought of facing Gibbs after yesterday was terrifying. "Are you sure you're ok?" Kate asked. Perhaps she was selfishly hoping that he wasn't.

"I'm ok, I swear," Tony said and he truly felt like he was. "I do solemnly swear that I will not go to the park alone," he joked.

"Tony…" Kate sounded annoyed.

"Can we just talk tonight?" Tony asked as he went through the kitchen. "I'll cook dinner tonight," he could see Kate was about to protest with the usual stuff. "Ok, mother hen, I promise I'll have a sleep this afternoon," he put a hand on my heart.

Kate rolled her eyes as she chose not to get any further into the discussion. She didn't want to be dragged into a debate with Tony since she was going to be late enough already and the mood that Gibbs would be in… Well that would be dangerous.

* * *

_**NCIS HQ**_

"Sorry I'm late," Kate cricked her neck before sitting down. She was trying to avoid the gaze that she was positive Gibbs was throwing in her direction. "I overslept," she stated.

"Gee Kate, you looked like you've spent all night on the floor," McGee looked at Gibbs than back at her. "You alright?" He was concerned about her.

"I spent the night slumped over a dining room table," Kate answered as she rubbed her neck.

"That's not very bright," Gibbs said before standing up. "Shouldn't have fallen asleep there," he said.

"It wasn't like I planned it," Kate replied.

"Kate… My office now," Gibbs suddenly said as he walked out of the bullpen.

Kate gulped as she followed her boss into the elevator and waited for the usual premature stop in between floors. Kate swallowed again. "Well, Kate," Gibbs said slowly and distinctly. She recognized the tone as threateningly quiet.

"This is about yesterday," Kate said. "You can't really be angry at me," she feverishly defended her actions. Tony was Gibbs' proverbial son and it has been like that ever since she joined NCIS. Perhaps she did go too far. "Tony needed to rest and instead you enter a pissing contest with his doctor," she continued on.

"Well it wasn't like that," Gibbs found himself in the odd position of being wrong footed. "I asked him a simple question and he didn't answer… That was all," Gibbs said.

"That's bullshit," she snapped. "I called Brad because Tony was really awful yesterday. He didn't have to come but he chose to and what he got was an earful," Kate was on one of those rolls. "He didn't deserve that," she added.

"Well you know," Gibbs found himself sounding like one of his agents when they were getting a dressing down.

Kate felt really annoyed. "I really think you two need to call a ceasefire. I don't care what all this is about Gibbs, this has to stop. Listen, I know you care for Tony a great deal but this attitude you have, this chip you're carrying on your shoulder is not helping matters any," Kate had the upper hand and she was keeping it. "This isn't helping Tony… Just remember that before you think about flying off the handle again," she suggested as she punched the button to make the elevator move again. "What?" She asked.

"Something's different about you," Gibbs observed. "You've changed quite a bit. When have you started caring so much about DiNozzo," he hadn't meant to sound callous. There was definitely a change in Kate since Tony got sick. It was almost like motherly instincts had taken over. There were several reasons why he had rule twelve in place for a reason and he'd hoped that she wasn't planning on breaking it. "Not that I'm not thankful mind you," he was sure to add in.

"I don't know," Kate said as she got out of the elevator. "I guess I've just began to see him as human," she said simply. There was no way in hell she was going to tell anybody that she's been working on a dossier to better understand the senior field agent. Perhaps that's why her feelings felt magnified.

* * *

_**Bethesda Cafeteria**_

Gibbs really hated it when other people got to him. This was one of the extremely rare occasions where everyone was right. Brad rubbed his lips as Gibbs sat down in front of him. All he knew that Gibbs wanted to 'chat' and he still had memories of the last time they actually tried to chat. One thing that was looking positive was the fact that Gibbs didn't look irritated.

"I think it's about time we talked," Gibbs told the doctor.

Brad nodded. The talk could go either way that was the only thing for certain. The way he saw it was they never gave him a chance to explain himself. "I'm listening," Brad responded. He wanted to gage Gibbs' thinking incase he was going to insert his foot and say something he'd probably regret.

"I see Tony as a son. Now I don't expect you to understand that Doctor Pitt," Gibbs said and Brad nodded. "Well I get a bit protective at times," he explained his actions. Part of it felt easy.

"I understand to a certain extent," Brad responded. He was silently thankful that the tone was a friendly one. "We all have people we feel the need to protect," he said. That was true and at the moment they felt the need to protect one person. Somehow they were both on the same page but they kept nudging each other. "I will never willingly endanger a patient's life," Brad explained. He had valued his career highly. "But these pills things isn't something I want for public knowledge," Brad explained. "It's kind of embarrassing."

"I will have to admit that we did overreact a little," Gibbs said.

_A little?!_ Brad wisely kept that thought hidden. "Nah, it's ok. About yesterday… I shouldn't have baited you like that," he confessed. It was a stupid thing to wind the man up.

"I think we should admit that we were both in the wrong and both right and leave it at that," Gibbs extended the hand, which was the proverbial olive branch. "Ceasefire," Gibbs smiled. That was the term Kate used.

"Yeah," Brad shook it.

"Good. So what were you doing yesterday?" Gibbs asked. Perhaps he now could get a straight answer out of the doctor after they got their problem sorted out.

"Tony's been having problems clearing his lungs of some congestion so I helped it along a bit." Brad explained. "I know how horrible it sounded but it had to be done. It cleared a lot of it out," he added. "I know I've spoken to you people before about this… But, it is imperative that you keep an eye on him. Tony doesn't seem the like a man that knows his own limitations. I've talked to him but I think he's going to test himself out the first chance he gets," Brad said. You can take the boy out of the frat but you can't take the frat out of the boy he mused quietly.

"He's being watched like a hawk," Gibbs said smirking. "Kate's taken it upon herself to keep watch on him," he said.

"Ah, Kate," Brad laughed. "How long have they been going out?"

"Ha!" Gibbs stood up. "DiNozzo would be the last person Kate would ever go out with," he added.

Brad huffed lightly. "Kate didn't stay with Tony just because they worked together. There's something going on there," he added as Gibbs had his back turned. "I'll keep you informed Agent Gibbs," He called out.

"Good," Gibbs said. Brad was right about one thing though. There was more going on between the two agents than was being let on. Hell, maybe they didn't even know it themselves. If that was the case maybe it wasn't too late to stop them. They could turn out to regret the decision if that was the case… Patients fall in love with nurses and hostages fall for their captors. These relationships formed in these situations usually never ended well.

* * *

_**Tony's Apartment**_

"Hey, Kate," Tony said as he was slightly puffing.

"Tony?" Kate looked at him quizzically with concern but she quickly put that look away. She had been smothering him a lot and thought that tonight he can have a break. That he can have some rope. "Smells delicious," Kate said.

"Take a seat on the couch," Tony told her. It was then Kate produced a bottle of wine and he placed it in the fridge. "What? No questions?" He asked.

Kate shrugged her shoulders. "What are you cooking?" She asked.

Tony smiled. "Wait and see," he was standing next to the couch. "I have a question for you though," he said almost whispering. "Were you writing about me in your notebook?" Her downward gaze was the answer he needed. "Can I ask why?" It was a fair question after all.

"I've been trying to understand you," Kate said sheepishly. She felt like a kid that's been caught smoking at the back of the woodshed. It was impossible to tell which way this was going to go.

"I'm touched," Tony said as Kate stood up. She approached him. "Of all the-. I mean, I think you're the first woman to ever try and understand me," it sounded stupid as he said it. Truth be told, no woman has.

"You're not mad?" Kate asked.

Tony smiled and shook his head as he leaned forward and licked his lips. "When you said you stayed because you loved me, I thought you meant as a brother… Now I find you're doing this it's more than that… I know," Tony held his finger against her lips to stop her from speaking. "It's strange I know but…" _Brrring!_ The sound of the oven's timer sounded off, breaking the mood. _FUCK!_


	11. Chapter 11

CHASED BY THE SHADOWS

**_A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger thing and making you wait so long for an update._**

* * *

Tony could have screamed out in frustration when the oven buzzer went off. He turned the oven temperature right down as to keep the food warm. Kate was still waiting in the dining area but he felt like he was losing his nerve. He walked back into the dining room and, again they stood face to face. The revelation of Kate admitting her feelings for him had weighed on his mind. He figured it was also weighing on hers as well.

Tony thought that maybe Kate meant that she loved him as a brother or something like that. The team always had a family feel to it, yet this felt different. "It'd be ready to eat as soon as we are," Tony told Kate. The problem he had worried about in the kitchen came back up and it baffled him that a woman could do this to him. He was losing his nerve to make a move. "Now where were we?" He attempted to joke.

Kate had admonished herself harshly, since it had taken Tony almost dying for her to realize how she felt. She was just about to learn how Tony felt, when the buzzer had interrupted _**the **_moment. It was now probably lost. "You were just saying…" Kate had begun to ask.

He reached his hand gently out to the back of her neck… _It's now or never_… Tony maneuvered her head closer to him. If Kate was going to pull away, hide her feelings, it would be now. There was no fight or resistance. Kate allowed him to take the lead. Their lips tentatively brushed against each other, feeling for a response before tenderly locking together, longer. Tony released the hand from her neck. He wanted to see her reaction.

Kate couldn't believe that they were sharing _this _moment. She had always seen Tony as an obnoxious middle aged frat boy who refused to grow up. That was true up until he had contracted the plague. Her thoughts began to change after he'd apologized to her after she had told Tony that she was infected too. How could it have taken her this long to realize her buried feelings? Her lips protested as Tony withdrew his own. Her body took over as she leaned forward allowing her lips to search and reconnect with his. It didn't take long for her to reciprocate that needed kiss.

The force of passion sent Tony backwards for a moment until his feet were planted firmly. The mood was momentarily interrupted, once again, with the ring of the phone that floated loudly through the apartment. Their lips parted at the sound for a third time. Tony cursed to himself at the fates that interrupted them. "Let the machine pick it up," Tony said as he caught his breath.

"Are you ok?" She asked when she noticed the labored breathing.

"Perfect," Tony whispered. The passion grew stronger as they embraced…

* * *

_**Gibbs' Residence**_

Gibbs had decided to call up Tony to see how he was doing. It was a fair assumption that Tony had heard Kate kicking out both him and the Doctor. He knew she had the right to do it and knew what he had done wouldn't help Tony. He was a real bastard for blowing up like he did.

"_You have reached the number of DiNozzo, Tony DiNozzo. I'm unable to come to the phone right now, so if you leave a message after the beep, I'll call you as soon as I can."_ Of course the imitation Tony used of Sean Connery/James Bond voice wasn't a surprise to him and a smile appeared just before leaving a message.

"Just checking up on you, DiNozzo. I wanted to make sure you're not doing anything stupid… Ah, hell. You're probably asleep… If you're hearing this now, don't come down and answer the phone," Gibbs hated talking to answering machines, but figured it was better to say what he did in case Tony had worn himself out. He knew Tony probably was too exhausted to even pick up the bed room phone. "I want you to call me as soon as you listen to this message…" The phone clicked as if someone had picked it up. "Hey, DiNozzo… What did I just say?" He rubbed his face in frustration when he didn't get a vocal response. "DiNozzo?" He questioned again.

His thoughts immediately halted when it sounded like someone had tripped over a table and he heard moaning. Gibbs wasn't sure what was going on, but he visibly jumped when it sounded like someone hit the glass table in the living room. Fear engulfed Gibbs chest and images of his agent falling or worse played in his mind. This was enough to get his body roaring into action.

* * *

_**Tony's place**_

Gibbs exited the elevator in a rush. Many possibilities still ran through his mind after what he heard over the phone. He put his own key into Tony's door and eased it open. His worst fear was the mental picture of Tony lying unconscious on the floor. This is what he thought he'd find going into the apartment.

"Hey Boss," Tony said as he tried to hide the grin on his face. After he received a famous Gibbs glare, he felt a little confused. "Anything the matter, Boss?" He asked, trying to figure out what was going on. There had to be some sort of an emergency for Gibbs to use his spare key to get into his apartment.

Gibbs looked over to the telephone. "I gave you a call but then the receiver… Fell to the floor," he picked up the receiver and put it back in its cradle.

"Uh, yeah, Boss," Tony stuttered slightly before regaining his composure, "I heard your call and then the machine picked it up," he said as he tried to think of a plausible excuse to why the phone fell and he hadn't picked it up. "I was chasing what I thought was a mouse and I must have knocked the receiver off the base," he explained. Tony kept his face turned away so Gibbs couldn't tell that he was smiling.

"Right," Gibbs didn't believe him.

"Hey Tony," He heard Kate's voice entering the living area. "Before I go, are you sure there was nothing more you need?" She said nonchalantly. "Oh, hey Gibbs," Kate greeted.

"I'm great, thanks," Tony answered her question. "Thanks for coming around tonight Kate," he said smiling as she walked out the door. "Coffee Boss?" He asked as he stood up.

Gibbs eyed him and made no attempt to hide that fact. "Good to see you are feeling better DiNozzo," Gibbs said to him. It was evident that something had gone on and he wanted to find out… Immediately.

"I'm feeling a lot better," Tony said. That was the truth too. Maybe it was because he was no longer hiding his feelings for Kate, or having to clear his lungs all the time. Perhaps it was just a little of everything. Gibbs didn't have to know all the real reason, just his health issues. _Hell, let him guess, _Tony thought to himself. That's if he needs to. "In fact… I think I would be ready to come to work next week," Tony said. There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He hoped it would convince Gibbs to allow him back so soon.

"The hell you are, DiNozzo," Gibbs told him flatly, "you have two weeks still left on sick leave and I strongly recommend that you take them," it was a hell of a lot more than a suggestion. The tone said it all.

"But, Boss," Tony whined a little. "Doctor Pitt said after two weeks if I feel well enough I can do light duty, desk work," he sighed to accentuate his level of frustration.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. The pathetic tone and look was almost laughable. But when it came from DiNozzo it was serious. Tony had always reminded him of one of the students he remembered from school. The one student that never knew when to stop, when his body had had enough and that kid was just like DiNozzo. He knew that Tony had played Basketball, Football, and Ran, even with work when it became physical. He never knew when to slow down. He always pushed himself too much, like now.

"You're taking the two weeks and that's final DiNozzo," Gibbs pointed the finger at him. "Doctor Pitt doesn't know you like I do," he said.

"I'll-," A Gibbs stare soon silenced his protesting.

"You'll stay home and do what I order you, DiNozzo," Gibbs said. "What I heard on the phone was someone gasping and hitting the table. Now are you going to tell me that you're fine enough to come back?" Gibbs asked and then noted that Tony was about to say something. He cut him off with the wave of the hand. "I don't buy that rat bullshit. Either you're really sick and just not saying. Or, more likely you're trying to hide something from me that goes deeper. Gibbs knowingly said, his blue eyes met with green with the stare he used in interrogation to extract the truth.

Tony lowered his eyes momentarily. All that was running through his mind was rule number twelve. Gibbs would have his hide if he found out what had transpired between the two. "I just tripped over the table leg," Tony tried to explain. "I didn't want to say anything, because I felt so stupid for doing it, alright? I didn't realize I knocked the phone off the hook," he finished trying to explain; only to tangle him self in a bigger web.

"You take me for a fool, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. He didn't believe the younger man's story, he only knew it would keep going around in circles.

"No, not at all Boss," Tony conceded with a bit of shame. Did he already know, Tony wondered?

"You call me if you need anything at all DiNozzo," Gibbs said, letting him off the hook, for now.

Tony swore that if he heard that offer one more time he was going to scream. Sure it was nice to know that he was cared about. But, he was feeling better now and didn't want to be treated like he was still disabled. "I think Kate has that covered," Tony replied. "She's been great," he said. Perhaps he'd given too much away, he feared,. "I will call you Boss," Tony suddenly added.

"Make sure you do," Gibbs told him.

"I will," Tony assured him. "But, boss, I really -,"

"If you but boss me one more time, I'll head slap you so hard even Australia will feel it," Gibbs warned harshly.

"If you're willing to head slap me… I must be," was all he got out before Gibbs' hand struck the back of his head. For a temporary second he felt blinded and light headed. It was almost like the pain travelled from head to toe. "See Boss, I'm good to go," that wasn't true, but he'd hoped the human lie detector would believe him.

_Can you tell when someone is lying to them just by looking into their eyes… Yes I can… Ask me! Ask me!_ That kept playing through his head. Yeah, he could tell. Deep down, Tony knew he could never lie to his Boss. It didn't stop him from trying though.

"Like hell you are," Gibbs responded quickly. He'd seen the lasting effect the head slap had on his senior field agent and felt bad about doing it. That was one way he had in order to figure out how badly Tony felt, "there's no way you're going to work next week, DiNozzo," Gibbs gruff voice sternly told his agent.

Tony slumped on the couch, not totally defeated. "Should I find a bunch of stairs to climb?" he sighed heavily as he asked. "If I can climb the stairs I can go back to work," he thought of the movie Something's Gotta Give, but that stair climbing meant that Jack Nicholson's character was ready for sex… Now there was a thought.

"You know, I'm going to leave right now. I don't care what the doctor says. You have two weeks to go. Now, get use to it," Gibbs growled out the order, tired of the dance they were doing.

"Yes Boss," Tony responded. He was left no choice but to tow the line. Doing anything differently would just irritate Gibbs further and that would be a huge mistake. So he would do what he always did… Fall into line.

* * *

_**The Beginning of the Weekend.**_

Abby had been counting down the days until DiNozzo was due back. The waiting however had been a killer. It had been like forever since she saw him and it was a quiet Friday. A few times a month they'd get together on a Friday night so she decided to pick up a pizza and a video. Tony looked through the peek hole before answering the door.

It wasn't surprising that the first thing Tony could smell was the Pizza. He knew Gibbs would go off the wall if he found out and so would Brad. Tony smiled as the food of the Gods was not on the prescribed food list he was given.

"Thanks Abs," Tony said gratefully. It didn't matter how great pizza was, he just couldn't bring himself to eat something that meaty. _Oh God, I'm turning into a bloody vegetarian. Damn diets._ "Uh, no thanks," Tony told a very shocked Abby. "I had something not too long ago," he explained, which he had.

Tony knew it wasn't just the diet Brad had given him but also he'd been eating a lot with Kate. So he tried to make his excuse believable and was glad when Abby didn't question him on it.

"That's ok," Abby said cheerfully. She was a little disappointed, but Tony didn't look like he needed a doctor or a nurse to lecture him. She smirked… Tony and Kate might think everyone's ignorant, but Abby had observed the change in Kate. She wished Kate would talk to her, after all Kate and Tony were her best friends. But, from knowing them each so well, Abby knew they were becoming an item, if not one already.

Tony rested his head on Abby's lap which was something they often did when they watched a movie. Occasionally they would swap positions depending on which one was feeling down. Abby stroked Tony's hair and he let out an elongated sigh of contentment. Abby swore that if he was going to get anymore content from her stroking his hair, which she loved to do, that he'd be like a cat and start purring.

"What are you thinking about?" Abby asked.

Tony grinned like a Cheshire cat. Abby being a scientist knew that contrary to popular belief, Sodium Penathol commonly known as truth serum does not force people to talk. It just puts them in such a relaxed state that they're willing to share anything. "I was thinking about Kate," Tony answered in a dreamy and tranquil state. Right now, Abby was his sodium penathol,

"I just knew you two would hook up," Abby said in her high pitched tone.

The relaxed state evaporated as Tony sat up in a flash. "Whoa Abs," he said emphatically. "I didn't say that," he said. There was no way that he wanted it out. "We're not together."

"Oh yeah, right," Abby responded.

Tony didn't know how to respond. There was one person he dared not lie to and one he couldn't lie to. "You can't say anything Abs," Tony pleaded.

"I won't say anything," she said. "I'm so happy for you two. It's great. You have to. tell me when this happened," Abby's tone went into full speed.

"Only a few days ago," Tony answered her. He knew if he didn't it would only bring on more questions, "At first I thought she was talking about brother sisterly love but it turned out to be a lot more," Tony confirmed.

"Tony…" Abby said slowly.

"Yeah Abs," Tony's voice matched the pace of Abby's tone.

"I'm so happy for you guys," Abby squealed. "But promise me one thing Tony… That you won't screw this up," it sounded like a warning. "You two can have a great thing going if you let it," Abby added.

"Nothing will get in our way Abs," Tony responded. He was sure of that. There was no way he was going to let his past habits interfere with what was looking like an optimistic future. There were only two things that worried him. One was he'd never been in a serious, long term relationship. And two, Gibbs with his all knowing sense and that damn rule twelve.

* * *

_**A/N: A headslap for my kangaroo Paw for the beating she's going to give herself for any mistakes.**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**CHASED BY THE SHADOWS**_

During the last week at home, Tony was beginning to go stir-crazy. As long as he kept up his water intake, the coughing was kept at bay. The only thing that had kept him from going totally insane was the occasional visits of Kate that broke the monotony of being alone.

It was then that Tony began plotting his release from house arrest. He wondered just how far he could take things so that his boss would allow him to come to work without dragging him to Gibbs' house. Perhaps it would just be easier to convince Brad he was good enough to go into work.

"Yes!" Tony leapt to his feet and headed out the door in a flash. That'd be exactly what he'd do.

_**BETHESDA HOSPITAL**_

No amount of talking was going to convince Brad Pitt from performing a physical check-up on his fair-haired patient. Eventually, Tony agreed for the impromptu examination. Brad wrapped the tourniquet around Tony's arm and looked for a vein to take blood.

"Anybody call you a vampire recently Brad? Should I be wearing turtle neck sweaters when I come here?" Tony asked. His face was skillfully hiding the fact he was joking.

"Yeah… You did… The last time I took some blood," Brad responded without taking his attention off what he was doing.

Tony bit his lip as he sat on the edge of the bed. Brad used the stethoscope to listen to Tony's breathing. "Hmm," Brad mumbled as he instructed Tony to breathe in different ways. "There's still rattling going on in there," Brad answered. He looked at the threatening glance that Tony was giving him before continuing his exam. "That won't work… Especially when your boss scares me more," Brad joked.

"Does it hurt when you breathe?" Brad asked.

"Sometimes, but it isn't too bad. It does begin to hurt after exertion," Tony decided to go with the honest route. Perhaps that'd get him to work quicker.

"Coughing? Shortness of breath? Are you having any problems breathing at all?" Brad wrote down some notes.

"I only begin coughing up my lungs if my throat gets to dry. My breathing's been alright," Tony answered him. "It's not the best but it's a lot better," Brad watched him carefully.

"Lucky you said that or I would've called you a damn liar," Brad responded after he was satisfied by the answer. "Headaches, lightheadedness muscle soreness?" He ran through the list.

"Not as much as I did before. But I haven't really been doing anything to figure that out," Tony shrugged.

"Point taken," Brad answered as he thought for a moment. "I get it alright. I'd say you are fit for work. But… I'd like you to be on light duties for at least two weeks to see how things go," Brad said as he tried to make sure that his patient listened. "Light duties and stay dry," Brad repeated. Tony was about to say something. "Don't even think about saying anything against it… I'll be calling Agent Gibbs and making sure that he understands as well," Brad told him.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure he'll be delighted at that," Tony said.

"Tony, this is serious. If you don't heed my advice I can't let you back at work," Brad told him seriously and then watched to make sure that Tony understood.

"Hey, I meant convincing Gibbs," Tony said.

_**Kate's apartment: Thursday**_

As soon as Kate opened the door for Tony, he was on her, guiding her body indoors with his lips. It was her who pulled away first. "Take it you've received some good news," Kate smiled after taking a second to catch her breath.

"Guess who's coming back to work on Monday," Tony said as he waggled his eyebrows a bit.

"So you thought you'd rush over here to celebrate?" Kate laughed as they made their way through the apartment.

"You remind me of the boy who never grew up… But in such a dirty… Disgusting… Tony!" She laughed and screamed at the same time as Tony's wondering hands opened up her jacket and shirt and his lips travelled south.

"I don't hear you saying no," Tony smiled.

**TWILIGHT!**

Kate had flipped through her large sketchbook until she came across her favorite sketch of Tony. It was of him lying back in his chair talking on the phone. The shades he wore made him look younger… Hot… Rebellious. Ever since declaring her feelings for the field agent, she'd never been happy with this sketch. He needed to be more defined, more… something at least. Kate reached into her drawer and began fixing some of the sketch. To make him look better, to make him look more…Her thoughts were interrupted.

"Is that Tony?" Kate heard McGee say from over her shoulder.

"No," Kate turned around and said before closing the sketchbook. Ever since Tony's bout and sick leave, she thought that Tim acted a bit clingy. Which was unbecoming to the NCIS agent.

"Are you sure? Because it sure," McGee began to say.

Kate grew angrier that there was a possibility of McGee finding out about her and Tony. And if McGee knew, then Gibbs sure as hell would. "Is there a reason you've been haunting my desk all week," Kate didn't attempt to hide her frustration at the young agent.

"No, I was just…" McGee began to sound awkward.

Kate stood up. "Or maybe you just decided to take over DiNozzo's job of annoying me while he's on sick leave," She pushed to alleviate any suspicion that McGee might have had about her and Tony. She giggled internally when he backed away as she approached.

"I-I just wanted to check that everything was ok," McGee began stammering.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Kate had almost backed McGee from her desk, past Gibbs' desk and, was enjoying it.

"Well, you and Tony are close and you know," The two finally stopped.

_Oh McGee if you only had a clue._ "No, I don't know… What?" Kate asked. It was too much fun to make McGee spell it out.

"He almost died," McGee answered as if Kate had no idea. But she knew, she was there through the blue lights, through the hell and more.

"We're NCIS agents, McGee. There's a chance one of us might die every time we walk through that door," Kate stated the obvious and walked away.

"But I'm the idiot that handed him the envelope full of the plague?" McGee was still beating himself over what happened. He had almost killed Tony and it still tore him up inside.

Kate's inner voice screamed. What is it about the men of NCIS and taking the blame for everything? "Tim… It's not your fault," she assured him. After all, how was Tim supposed to know, plus, Tony had snatched the letter. McGee looked at her closely. It was time to revert to normal. "Look, if you want to think about something… Why don't you think about all the times Tony has insulted us, invaded our privacy, the fact that he almost died owing us all money," Kate knew that would alleviate all the suspicion.

"That's true… He can be pretty obnoxious," McGee agreed.

Tony's desk phone ringing interrupted their conversation. Kate's heart sank. Maybe Tony wasn't coming into work today. "Do you miss him as much as I do?" McGee asked as they both looked longingly at the phone.

"More," Kate answered. The word slipped out before she could stop it. "It's part of his charm. He's like an x-rated Peter Pan," she joked. Things were getting too serious. Maybe McGee would decipher that joke. "You know he told all the girls downstairs you're gay, right?" Kate asked. "Said it'll cut down on the competition."

It was funny to see McGee fold his arms in anger. He took awhile to think of an appropriate response to what she had just told him. "That bastard," McGee settled on.

"Hold onto that feeling," Kate said. This was going to be too much fun and to see how McGee would react to Tony after this latest news. "And you'll be just fine," she continued while smiling.

"You wanna know what he said about you?" McGee asked. It was a tattle-tale moment.

"Hmm," Kate replied. This was going to be interesting.

"That you tried to sleep with him when you two were in Paraguay," McGee stated. He was slightly amused at the thought of them sleeping together.

"I will… kill him," Kate said. Tony had taken that too far. Now she was sure that McGee thought she was pissed at Tony as much as he was. Kate thought it was perfect… Now it was time to make Tony suffer for his words.

Tony was almost ecstatic that Gibbs hadn't defied the Doctor's orders. He thought it was strange, actually. He did make a few cracks about Tony looking like crap and, truth be told he was actually feeling like it. But Gibbs took one look at Brad's letter that said Tony could come back to work. Suggested he take the last week of sick leave but left it at that.

Tony ran to Kate's desk half crouched over and all excited. "Hey Kate…" He called out. A tickle attacked his throat but fortunately it wasn't aggressive and one small cough got rid of it. "Must be important," he commented when Kate turned around and continued her phone conversation. "Probie!" Tony went to greet McGee. "Did you miss me… Long time no…" McGee just ignored Tony as he walked by. "What's wrong with him?" He asked Kate once she hung up.

Tony was feeling odd that people seemed to be ignoring him. He watched Kate telling Gibbs about a murder and occasionally blew into her hair. "Let's roll," Gibbs said as he stood up. "Gas the truck," he threw the keys.

"Sure," Tony answered.

But the keys went over his head and landed in McGee's hand. "On it Boss," McGee jogged out of the bullpen.

Tony thought for a moment as everyone around him seemed to not even notice he was there. "Maybe I did die," he thought momentarily. _Maybe I'm Bruce Willis in the Sixth Sense._ Maybe he was dead and just didn't know it. Everything could be his heaven… No, if that was the case, I'd be playing football with 2002 Woman's basketball team.

"Feel that?" Gibbs walked up to him.

"Feel what?" Tony asked. He was confused. Gibbs smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow," Tony let out a strange high pitched noise of pain.

"You're still alive," Gibbs grinned as he walked away. "Welcome back DiNozzo," he said. Tony couldn't help but smile. Things were back to normal… Well at work they were. His secret personal life was a different story.

"It's great to be back!" Tony laughed as he caught up with Gibbs and Kate at the elevator.


	13. Chapter 13

"Boss," Tony called from the top of the hill. He had grabbed his sketch and laser kit from back of the NCIS van. The first thing he saw at the scene was Kate bagging the bloodied towel. "State cops ran the Mustang's plates… It's a rental car out of Dulles Airport. I got a call into this…" Tony wasn't paying attention as he spoke to his team mates. His left ankle suddenly hit a rock and twisted. It was impossible to regain his footing as his body buckled without the support and fell onto the ground. He dropped the things he held and rolled down the hill, the supplies trailed behind and in front of him.

_Damn!_

_Shit!_

_Fuck!_

"Ouch," Tony whispered as his uncontrolled descent was abruptly halted by the crime scene kit. It took awhile before the world stopped spinning.

"Are you okay?" Gibbs looked down at Tony who hadn't made an attempt to stand up. Honestly, Gibbs had been expecting something like this to happen.

"Just trying to catch my breath," Tony's voice was uneven. _I wonder if inadvertently rolling down a hill is classified as overexertion in Brad's books.'_ Quickly ran through his mind.

"Should've taken that extra week off DiNozzo," Gibbs wasn't about to offer his stubborn Senior Field Agent any sympathy. "Help him up Kate. I'm gonna see what's keeping Ducky." He jogged back up the hill.

"That hurt?" Kate could hardly contain her amusement as she readied the camera.

""Yep," Tony replied weakly while struggling to regulate his breathing.

"Good," Kate smiled as she took his picture. She noted the heavy baggage beneath his eyes. Unable to leave him lying on the ground for much longer, she extended her hand and grabbed his and helped pull him to his feet.

Tony nodded his thanks. He hated feeling like this, showing people that he was merely human. Instead, he preferred to show his super agent side. He was the Agent of Steel. Tony shook the feeling aside in order to concentrate on the crime scene.

"Looks like a professional hit," Tony took a closer look at the two young bodies in the Mustang, "Probably took the hands to confirm the kill," he threw out, but didn't quite believe it. Something didn't feel right about taking both hands on one person and not the other.

"McGee told me what you said," Kate smirked at Tony, waiting for his excuse. .

"Did he now?" Tony wondered which thing she could be talking about. He thought through all the things he had told McGee about Kate. Not able to figure out what she was told, he decided to response with something she wouldn't expect. "Come on, I was only joking around. I didn't think he'd really believe me," he replied, still trying to think which of the many things he had said that would upset her.

"Really?" Kate huffed. "And why is that?" Whatever she was referring to was serious. If Tony could take back the stories he had told before the-plague and what sparked between the he would, in a heartbeat. Of course that would be impossible. Tony wanted a clean slate, but at times, the old Tony won out. It was too difficult to resist the urge to clown around.

"Anybody looking at you can tell your breasts are real," Tony answered seriously.

"You told him I had breast implants?" Kate was livid. Of all the things the overgrown frat boy could have said this took the cake.

"No," Tony laughed at her comical reaction. Obviously he had picked the wrong story he had spread about her.

"You know what Tony?!" She didn't bother to hide her anger at all. "I can't even believe I worried about you…" She noted that he was avoiding eye contact. Perhaps if she milked this enough, Kate would get a nice romantic dinner with all the trimmings. "You are nothing but a giant…"

Tony shifted his feet as he waited for the perfect opportunity to interrupt. "Snake," he looked down at her feet.

"Yeah," Kate responded.

"No, Big, big, big, big snake. Down there," Tony pointed to her feet. The brown and red snake slithered around her feet, before it started to wrap around one leg.

Kate gasped when she looked down. She knew nothing about those disgusting reptiles. "Tell me it's not poisonous," she pleaded.

It took all of Tony's self control to not laugh at her. "I think it is," Tony whispered just loud enough to be heard over her frightened whimpers. "Okay," he soothed.

Kate felt the snake curl around her leg. "What's it doing?" She asked. Was it going to crush her leg? Was it going to crawl up and bite her?

"It's wrapping around your leg," Tony stated the obvious.

"Do something Tony," Kate was almost in tears, wanting the ugly yet scary snake off or her.

"Okay. I'll try and grab it," he said calmly, taking charge of what he hoped she'd see as being rescued. Maybe he could use that gratitude and they could have some real fun tonight. Providing they didn't have to work late and come in early. He then took the plunge. "Just don't make any sudden moves all right?" He asked. It would've been easier to tell the truth but, Tony DiNozzo never did anything the easy way.

"What if you miss?" Kate fretted for her safety as well as his.

"They do this stuff on the discovery channel all the time. How hard can it be?" Watching the antics of Steve Irwin was about to pay off. Tony knew how to play it up. He knelt down in front of her.

"Oh no, screw it," Kate pulled out her sig. "I'm going to shoot it."

"Hey!" Tony shouted to snap her out of what could be one hell of a mistake. "Put that gun away. You're gonna blow your foot off. Let me do this," Tony shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh God. My life in your hands. I knew it was gonna end this way."

"Quiet. You're making me nervous," Tony told her. Kate closed her eyes and whimpered once again. "Easy now, I'm about there," Tony explain. He easily grabbed the snake and waved it around with his hands to make it look like a real struggle. He had to make it look good, didn't he?

"Get it off," Kate cried.

"Okay," Tony said triumphantly.

"Oh God," Kate felt relief wash over her.

"Gotcha," Tony smiled confidently. His actions took on the impression of finally getting control of the wiggling snake.

"Ok, I'll give you this much. You do have your moments. Not many of them, but you do have them," She conceded and gave him as much of a complement as she could at the moment. .

Tony laughed. "So are we friends again?" He asked and hoped even more, that maybe his heroics could get him a little action tonight.

"Oh cool corn snake. Can I hold him?" McGee's voice came out of nowhere.

"No, it's poisonous McGee," Kate warned him.

Tony knew that this wasn't going to end well. "No, actually they're not Kate," McGee told her.

"Yes, they are, McGee," Tony tried to convince McGee to play along. He looked over to McGee, his eyes pleading for the probie to realize what he was doing.

"What about that one you caught at Shenandoah State Park?" McGee could never take a hint, "you had it around your neck for like an hour," McGee said, blowing the whole bogus scene Tony had built.

Kate glared down at Tony, who was still kneeling. Tony knew that letting the cat out of the bag, he'd have to try some damage control and get back in Kate's good graces. If he didn't, tonight would be off and the rest of the day would be hell.

"That near-fatal illness may have clouded my memory," Tony decided to use his illness with the plague as an excuse to get out of the situation. It had brought them together in the first place. He hoped it would be the right card to play and Kate wouldn't yell much or be to angry with him.

Kate lifted her foot up and used it to knock Tony onto his back. He winced as it seemed to jar his still weakened body. "All right, get back to work," Kate almost snarled. "McGee, check the trunk," she handed McGee the set of keys.

"Nobody touches the dead bodies until Duck says, 'All Clear.'" Kate said to them.

Tony grunted as McGee walked to the trunk. He wondered if getting kicked to the ground would be classified as more over exertion. A flashing red light beneath the car caught Tony's attention. "Freeze McGee! Don't move!" The device had to be an explosive.

Fortunately his voice was urgent enough to cause everyone to freeze in their place. "Car's wired to explode." McGee was still as a statue. "Looks like the detonator's tied to the trunk."

"What?" McGee asked in panic.

Kate hadn't taken a step. "How far did you turn the key?" She asked.

"Not sure. Almost all the way, I think," McGee stammered his answer.

"Okay, don't let it snap back, all right?" Tony spoke calmly as he got to his feet and walked over.

"Yeah," McGee answered, still holding the key in the same place.

Tony placed his hand over McGee's until it latched on to the key, allowing the other man's hand to slip away. Tony now had full control over the detonator.

"Okay. Both of you run," he ordered.

"Tony, we're not leaving you standing…" Kate began to say before she was cut off.

"I'm a lot faster than you are," Tony tried to convince them, "I'll be right behind you. This is not a debate, okay?" He sternly ordered them. The thought of Kate and Tim being blown up and killed wasn't an option, "this thing might be primed already," Kate and McGee ran as fast as they could to the road and safety.

"Anthony… You should have taken that extra week," Tony said to himself.

McGee and Kate made it to the road in record time. Gibbs was talking into his cell impatiently. "It's the car!" McGee shouted at the top of his lungs.

"It's wired to…" As Gibbs turned around to see what all the commotion was about, the force and heat of the explosion knocked Kate, McGee and Gibbs face first onto the ground. Gibbs had to push a flaming tire away from his head as he realized what had just happened.

Kate reacted first. She turned around, sat up and looked for Tony, who was nowhere to be found.

"Tony!" She cried out in fear. The only thing she could think of was the last thing she did to him. She had knocked him to the ground and thought he was an asshole. But those weren't her real feelings. She loved him and now he was gone.

Everybody breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Tony's figure when he crawled up the embankment. Kate could tell something was wrong by the wheezing breaths he struggled to take. Gibbs breathed out a sigh of relief and then impatience which he aimed at his Senior Field Agent's brave stubbornness.

"Boss," he wheezed out as he struggled to crawl. "Remember when I said I never felt better," _one hand in front of the other… one knee in front of the other _he kept telling his body. Tony could only make out blurry figures that watched him. At least they were all safe and unharmed. "I lied," his body collapsed on to the ground and lay face down in the dirt… Exhausted.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chased By The Shadows**_

Tony sat on the autopsy table feeling more than embarrassed. Gibbs and Kate had carried him to the truck and even threatened to drag him into Autopsy if he refused to go willingly. Ducky was to give him a quick checkup, much to Tony's impatience. All he could think about was the work that needed to be done and the time taken away by this exam.

"I'm telling you I'm fine," Tony said as Ducky checked his blood pressure while waiting for the thermometer to beep so he could read the agent's temperature.

"136 over 84 is not fine for you Tony, your blood pressure is high," Ducky admonished Tony's flippant attitude. But then that's what they always got from Tony when it came to his own health.

"Almost getting blown up tends to that to me," Tony responded. He thought that anybody's blood pressure would sky rocket after surviving an explosion. "Not to mention hanging around Kate when she's in one of her moods," the edge of Tony's lips curled up into an accentuated smile. With a thermometer sticking out of his mouth, impersonating the Penguin from the original Batman series seemed to him the only logical thing to do.

"This isn't funny DiNozzo," Kate snapped. How dare Tony be so… So Tony, after being almost killed,…yet again.

"No it's not," Tony agreed wholeheartedly. "If I hadn't come into work today, you and McGee would be lying on one of those tables over there," he thought he deserved some credit instead of being chastised by everyone.

"Well at least your temperature is pretty normal," Ducky studied the reading on the thermometer.

"Yeah, I'm good to go," Tony slid off the table and winced. His body felt the twinge when his feet made impact on the hard floor.

"Muscle soreness?" Waiting to see if he'd get a true answer, Ducky looked the young man over, up and down.

"Only when I move or breathe," Tony answered lightheartedly as he tried not to show his struggle to bend down to retrieve his jacket.

"Yes, clearly you haven't quite recovered from your bout with Y. Pestis," Ducky had a habit of stating the obvious. "You need a rest," he patted Tony on the arm.

Tony wondered if this was how it felt going twenty rounds with Mike Tyson … A bout? More like an epic battle to the death. "No, I need to get back to work Ducky," Tony corrected the ME. There was a case that needed solving.

Kate had been watching the checkup with some worry. She knew that Tony's stubbornness would possibly get in the way of his recovery. "Damn it Tony. I should just get you home and get you in bed," Kate shook her head.

Ducky and Tony looked at each other before looking back to Kate with shocked expressions. Tony and Kate had agreed to keep their relationship a secret as long as humanly possible. But if Kate kept up with the Freudian Slips, the secret would soon be out quicker than either wanted.

"Okay, that didn't come out the way I intended," Kate responded to the looks and tried to salvage the slip she had made. She hoped it had worked, but wasn't sure. She hoped Tony would try to do his usual quick cover up.

"What didn't Kate?" Gibbs asked as soon as he entered Autopsy. He had only managed to catch the last part of the conversation. But if Kate was tripping over her own words, it had to be good.

"Oh, I was just saying," Kate stumbled a little.

"Kate was just expressing our concern for Tony," Ducky interrupted Kate's stuttering so she wouldn't embarrass her self further. That was one thing that Tony was thankful for since he hadn't come up with a wise crack fast enough before his boss came in.

"Yeah? How is he?" Gibbs decided to bypass Tony to get a real answer.

"Stubborn, pigheaded and unaware of his own limitations," Ducky answered. In the meanwhile, Tony couldn't help but smile at the ME's assessment.

"Sounds about right," Gibbs said. His concern had dissipated when he heard that. It'd be more of a concern if he wasn't acting the way Ducky had described.

"I haven't finished with you yet," Ducky threatened the still smiling Tony as he caught up with Gibbs who was looking at the charred remains lying on the tables.

Tony smiled brightly at Kate. "So you wanna buy me dinner first or should we go back to your…" Tony teased Kate trying to act as they usually did so her earlier slip might be forgotten by Ducky, but he didn't think it would. It didn't take long for Kate to pick up on this and) use her perfectly accurate elbow to him in the chest. Tony gave the others a pathetic 'she hit me' look. Tony hoped that had worked and was glad the subject was lost to the case in front of them.

Ducky began explaining the findings to Gibbs. "Fortunately, the skulls remained relatively intact," Ducky explained.

Palmer held two charred arms in his hands as he attempted to put together the human jigsaw puzzles that were before him. "The problem is sorting out which parts belong to whom," Palmer added.

"Yeah, I can see that Palmer," Gibbs hated being told what he already could clearly see. Palmer wore a dejected look due to Gibbs' cold response.

"The dental results were conclusive," Ducky said as he picked up the report. He knew the other agents were aware that along with certain bones that the teeth were the hardest things to be destroyed by fire. "Passengers were Navy Lieutenants Dean Westfall and Curtis Janssen," he explained as they examined the dental x-rays.

Tony was leaning against the sinks listening. What he really feel like doing was lying down. Despite his 'I'm fine' mantra he was starting to feel exhausted and overheated. "Well, that checks. According to the car rental place, Westfall rented the mustang two months ago," Tony corroborated the identification.

"Kate," Gibbs got her attention. Since the conversation seemed to be drifting off to somewhere else. "Pull up the service records. Have McGee find out who made the 911 call," he started giving out orders.

"On it," Kate dutifully responded.

"Tony," Gibbs threw over his shoulder as he started to leave autopsy.

"Yeah Boss," he sniffed once.

Gibbs turned around and made eye contact with Tony. He knew that sometimes an irritated and stuffy nose could be a symptom of a high temperature. Tony waited with a minimal amount of eagerness. "Go lie down before you pass out," Gibbs instructed Tony as he left through the doors.

Ducky switched off the lights on the x-ray display panel. He knew what was coming next. It wasn't the first time Tony and Gibbs had had this type of conversation. Gibbs was never shy about showing his concern for the senior field agent. However, Tony was always shy about accepting it.

Tony rubbed his nose. "I'm not going to pass out," he laughed at the mere thought of it. Palmer looked at Kate, both of them were unsure of how to react to this. "I might cry a little, maybe feel sorry for myself. But DiNozzo's do not pass out," he raised his finger to accentuate the point before leaving. "Coming Boss," he met up with Gibbs at the elevator, with a slow gait.

Kate shook her head. She was sure that he'd be the death of him self one day. Or even the death of her. If things got any worse, Kate figured she'd be dragging Tony home. "Can't you do something Ducky?" She asked. Maybe Ducky could strap him to one of the Autopsy tables and knock Tony out with a sedative.

"Yes… Well, I'm doing it right now," Ducky answered.

Kate looked around. Maybe the ME had misunderstood her or something. "What?" Kate asked.

"Praying," Ducky answered with a hint of humor. He had guessed that there was something going on. Kate had been wearing a mask since Tony had been back, but occasionally she'd just let it slip and reveal that there was something going on between the two. And Tony had tried to cover up the slip. But he had to be certain before he could judge.

* * *

_**Abby's Lab**_

Abby was busy running all the tests on every piece of debris that had been recovered from the blast site. She had just ran the test through the Chemical Analysis computer and waited for it to show up on the computer.

"Well hey there little lady," Tony attempted an Elvis impersonation which sounded more like a hybrid of John Wayne and Elvis.

"Tony, you're back!" Abby squealed as she turned around. "I missed you!" Abby's voice went high pitched. Tony saw what was coming, but like a speeding bullet, she was impossible to stop. Tony grunted in pain as he wore all of her weight in her tight hug.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Abby asked, concerned that she had to keep him upright.

"I'm fine," Tony just wished that everyone would stop knocking him around. He only wanted to work and not be sent home, only to be bored out of his mind as he had been. "Just a little sore, you know, from the explosion and all," he added, mixing truth while admitting the fact he really didn't feel up to par. He should have taken that extra week, but then probie and his lovely Kate would be dead. He needed to be useful, to keep his mind busy with the case and not with what had happened to him from the Y-pestis.

"I'm sorry," she looked sympathetic and made a mental note to reprimand Gibbs for making Tony his errand boy. "Do you want to sit down?"

"Well I was thinking about lying next to your little refrigerator thingy over here," he said as Abby guided him to it. Tony didn't look so great and she didn't want him passing out on the floor in her lab… Gibbs would kill her and so would her conscience.

"Sure," Abby went in her office and pulled out a large stuffed hippopotamus. "Here, you can use Bert as a pillow," Abby placed Bert where he was about to put his head.

When Tony put his head down, he heard something that sounded suspiciously like a fart. Tony looked at the stuffed animal and then at Abby. It couldn't be Bert, it wasn't him and the noise didn't come from Abby's direction. This was all too confusing. He hoped hearing this noise wasn't part of the aftermath of the explosion. "It's supposed to make that noise," Abby said with a huge smile on her face.

"You have a stuffed animal that farts?" Tony asked with a surprised look. Although, he didn't know why it should be so surprising, after all, this was Abby.

"Yeah," Abby answered. Everybody loved it. Though, she thought she'd have to make another one after Gibbs gave it a good work out. "It's cool huh?" She marveled how a stuffed animal that farted every time someone squeezed it, made most people feel better.

"Yeah, in a disturbing way," every time he moved his head, the hippo farted. "So, what did I miss?" Tony asked.

"Gibbs has been really cranky since you've been gone," Abby answered. That was something that Tony expected to hear. "I think his knees been bothering him again. Kate got in a fight with a JAG Lawyer. Think he was hitting on her or something," Abby knelt down beside him.

"About the case, Abs," Tony interrupted the gossiping forensic scientist. He rested his hand against the nice cool fridge. "I got a glimpse of the bomb, it was definitely a pro job," Tony explained.

"You are correct sir," Abby laid down as well. "I've run ten samples. The main charge is C4, it's primed with det cord and blasting caps," she happily agreed with him and then went on to tell him why. She had missed their conversations and how they would put things together about a case.

"So we should be able to trace the source to the manufacturer," Tony asked. Again the stuffed hippo farted regularly. Both of them were so engrossed in their conversation that neither one heard the hippo's unusual noise it made anymore.

"You'd think so… But no."

"Abby, every military explosive over the last 20 years has had tags mixed in for identification purposes," the military had put the tags in place for this exact reason. Just in case pieces of equipment were stolen and used as these had been. They could then find out where the equipment had been taken from and hopefully find out by who had stolen them.

"Yeah, but these don't," Abby had already known about tags.

"Are you telling me this guy made this stuff from scratch?" Tony knew that that meant the perpetrators was even more cunning and dangerous.

"The compositions are exact. It's off the shelf," Abby shook her head.

"That's not possible… How's that possible?" Tony asked. This was turning out to be a professional job alright, he mused.

"It shouldn't be possible," Abby commented.

"Oh it's possible," Gibbs looked down at his agent and the Goth, lying on their backs. It was an inappropriate time for Tony to move his head in order to look up at his boss allowing the stuffed animal to fart loudly.

Tony saw the expression on Gibbs' face. "That was the stuffed animal Boss, right Abby?" Tony defended himself against the offensive sound.

"What stuffed animal?" Abby asked seriously and Tony pointed to Bert beneath his head.

Gibbs dragged Abby up by her hand and to her feet. "Abs are you sure these explosives aren't traceable?" Gibbs asked.

"So far, but I'm still checking," She answered as Gibbs examined the pictures on the monitor.

"How about the detonator?" He inquired, while deep in thought for some explanation about how this could happen.

"Also wired," She brought up a picture of the bomb's design on the larger screen. "The electronics are fairly simple, but there's no serial numbers on anything. It's like it's been sanitized," Abby explained.

"Let's go, DiNozzo," Gibbs sighed. His team almost getting blown up was serious, but his team being deliberately targeted was downright unacceptable. "Someone's trying to kill us again," he sighed.

Tony stood up and tossed Bert to Abby. "I don't think he meant that literally," he said as he jogged to catch up to Gibbs.

Abby watched them leave. She always worried about them when they faced danger like this. Abby gave Bert a real tight squeeze for comfort.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chased**_

McGee almost leapt to his feet when Tony and Gibbs entered the bullpen. He began to explain what he had found out. "Boss, according to state police the 911 was,"

"Anonymous," Gibbs finished the sentence for him.

"Yes, and it was also…" McGee confirmed and started to continue his sit rep.

"Untraceable," Gibbs finished McGee's sentence again.

"Yeah," McGee gave a questioning look. It was so annoying when Gibbs knew before them. "They're also sending tapes over of the call," He always wondered how Gibbs would know, especially after all their hard work in finding out.

"Kate, what do you know about the lieutenants?" Gibbs asked without looking at her. He needed more information, right away.

"They're both pilots, Gibbs," She answered and brought their information up on the plasma screen. "Lieutenant Curtis Janssen is an instructor in Pensacola," Kate explained.

"What's he doing in Virginia?" Gibbs kept his attention on the monitor.

"According to his unit he was on leave, visiting his friend, Lieutenant Dean Westfall, also out of Pensacola, but the last few months he's been TAD at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland," Kate told him.

"Proving Ground?" McGee asked. He had never heard of it.

"That's where they test new military equipment. Technology Probie," Tony patted him on the shoulder. He was surprised that McGee didn't know that. "Maybe they used Westfall's prints to access the base," Tony suggested, giving a reason as to why they'd possibly take the hands.

"I checked Tony, none of Aberdeen's security systems rely on fingerprint or palm scanners," Kate dismissed that reason.

"What was he working on?" Gibbs asked. That would've had to have something to do with it.

"Classified," a Gibbs glare caused Kate to change her words. "I will find out," she corrected herself.

"What's going on Boss?" Tony asked. It seemed that Gibbs was following a train of thought.

"Car didn't have any military decals," Gibbs responded. "The Lieutenants were wearing civvies," he added.

"And the 911 caller specifically said it was two dead sailors," McGee added to the mystery.

"Someone wanted NCIS to investigate the scene," Gibbs stated. Everyone turned to look at one another, a bit surprised.

"Why?" Kate asked.

"Same reason why they wanted the car to explode, Kate," Gibbs answered.

"We were set up, so someone really is trying to kill us?" Tony asked. He hated when this happened. He was barely over the last time they were targeted.

"Yeah, they came pretty damn close," Gibbs left the bullpen. This kind of revelation had to be reported to Director Morrow, and fast.

* * *

The Bullpen sat mostly in darkness. Only the monitors and desk lamps illuminated their area. Most of the floor was vacated at this time of night, since the day shift had gone. McGee and Kate ate their takeaway while Tony sat back in his chair quietly pondering the events of the day.

"You want some?" McGee held up his takeaway box.

"No thank you," Tony politely answered. All he wanted to hear was an ordered to go home. He needed sleep, some rest, the strain of the day was getting to him. And Tony figured the rest of the team saw it as well.

"He passed on free food," McGee said to Kate.

"Maybe he is dying," Kate joked.

"Well I haven't had much of an appetite lately, Kate," he snapped. Why couldn't they just leave him in peace? "On account of having the pneumonic plague," he said. Tony thought about his week on sick leave and the late night infomercials he had watched when he couldn't sleep. _Lose weight now… Get the fucking plague, acts as a great appetite suppressant._

"Yeah, I know Tony. I was there. You don't have to keep bringing it up every few minutes," Kate responded.

McGee had been listening to the two of them all day and when the latest banter began, he suspect even more that something was going on between his two co-workers. They were beginning to act like a bickering married couple. Or perhaps he had just misinterpreted the signals they were giving out. But a mosaic picture was beginning to form as certain things slipped into place.

"It's not everyday you escape the clutches of the Black Death, Kate. It's a life changing experience," Tony answered back in his defense. Realizing that he was never going to be as healthy as he was or that he wasn't impervious to harm, was a real eye opener and a scary one at that.

"How so Tony?" McGee asked. Tony still was acting like his old self.

"Ask Kate… She was there," He answered.

Gibbs seemingly came out of nowhere and snapped his fingers to get their attention. "Hey! I wanna know what Westfall was doing at Aberdeen by the time I get back," he said in a cold manner. The meeting with Morrow didn't go the way he had hoped.

"Where are you going?" Kate asked.

"Out," Gibbs gave the simple answer. "McGee, I want reasons why someone would chop off his hands. Tony," Gibbs snatched McGee's takeaway. "Eat something," he ordered, and firmly placed the box on Tony's desk on his way out.

* * *

McGee finished chewing and looked at his empty hand while Tony intently studied the contents of the box. It looked as bad as it smelled. Food couldn't be good for you if the mere smell of it made you nauseous, he decided.

McGee paced around the bullpen as he thought. "Why take someone's hands?" He asked.

"Trophies," Tony suggested. He could imagine someone keeping hands on a wall. Hunting, the greatest game of all… Man. Tony rested his feet on his desk as he merely picked at the takeaway.

"But why leave the other lieutenant's?" McGee asked. He couldn't understand why anyone would want someone's hands if they weren't useful for anything.

"If he's chopping hands off, I don't think we can expect him to be rational, McGee," Kate answered.

Tony used the fork to sift through the contents of the so called food in the box. He couldn't tell if it was mould or lettuce in there.

"We've got trouble," McGee said.

"What was your first hint?" Kate asked.

"The two bodies downstairs or the explosion McGee?" Tony asked and Kate laughed.

"No, I mean FBI trouble," McGee answered as he watched Fornell approach them. Whatever it was, Fornell had a serious look on his face.

"We must be in worse shape than we thought," Tony sat up straight. NCIS and FBI didn't go together. Something had to be seriously wrong for Fornell to drop in, unannounced like this.

"Where's Gibbs?" Fornell bypassed any pleasant greetings.

"He's not here," Kate answered.

"Where is he Agent Todd?" Fornell's voice was urgent and his impatience was growing as the seconds ticked by.

"He's out. Try him on his cell," Kate suggested.

"I did, he's not answering," Fornell told her with some frustration. Gibbs always answered his cell, especially when working.

Tony leaned forward. This had to be worse than they thought. The whole thing was just blowing out of proportion. "What's going on?" Tony asked. His tone had matched Fornell's. Any joking around had come to an abrupt stop.

Fornell looked around before answering solemnly. "Ari Haswari is back in country," he said flatly.

Tony almost threw his food down. He felt anger at Fornell for letting that bastard back in the US. "You let that psycho back in the United States without telling us?" Kate was just as angry, if not more. She was held hostage by Ari along with a wounded Gerald and with Ducky as well. She was the first in line to tear Fornell to pieces.

"He was supposed to be helping us uncover an Al-Qaeda cell in the DC area," Fornell defended his poor judgment.

"What do you mean supposed to, Fornell?" Tony asked. That didn't sound good at all. Any hope of a quick resolution to the case was dwindling fast.

"We now think he's here for more personal reasons," Fornell answered. "He's planning on killing Gibbs," he explained Ari's motive which the others had already figured out.

* * *

"Please call me back," Tony hung up his phone. "That's 20 messages I left. We should look for him McGee," Tony stated. They were the only two in the bullpen since Kate and Fornell had gone up to MTAC.

"Look for who?" Gibbs asked.

"We've been calling you for the last hour boss," Tony tried to hide his concern as he answered. Both he and McGee walked across the bullpen to meet him. Never be unreachable? Right?

"Well yeah, my ringer got turned off," Gibbs showed them the damaged cell.

Tony watched McGee to see if he'd let the shocking news slip. When McGee didn't say anything, Tony got straight to the point "You're never gonna believe whose back in town," To Tony this was like ripping off a band-aid… The quicker the better.

"Ari," Gibbs answered flatly.

"Maybe you will," Tony responded quickly. He was surprised his boss already knew and wondered if perhaps they managed to contact Gibbs after all.

"Fornell said that he's here to…" McGee said.

"Kill me? Yeah, I know," that would've been a pretty safe bet. "I just had coffee with him," Gibbs stated.

"So what happened?" Tony asked since Gibbs wasn't going to elaborate.

"He tried to kill me," Gibbs acted nonchalantly. "We found out what Westfall was doing in Aberdeen yet?" Gibbs went on like nothing happened. He had given them tasks to do or had they forgotten that?

"Boss, aren't you going to elaborate a little bit first?" McGee curiously asked. Both he and Tony were still lagging in the conversation.

"Well yeah McGee! I'm alive," Gibbs snapped. "Now tell me about Westfall." He demanded.

"He was only attached to Aberdeen," McGee stuttered slightly at the outburst. "He was actually working with an aerospace contractor in Maryland," McGee explained, "Danborn Avionics."

"Doing what?" Gibbs asked.

"Testing field-service modules or something like that, I have no idea. FBI sent a team over to the company to investigate their security," Tony answered. They really didn't have a lot of information since Fornell hadn't shared much. He could only tell his boss what Fornell had shared with them.

"The FBI?" Gibbs asked. He was liking this less and less.

"A lot's happened in the last hour, Boss," Tony responded.

"Where's Fornell?"

"MTAC," Tony answered as Gibbs threw the cell over to McGee.

"Make the ringer thing work," he said before ascending the stairs to MTAC.

"Is it me or did he take the Ari situation really well?" McGee asked.

Tony thought for a second. Gibbs was always one to mask his emotions, but Tony could read his boss, most of the time. "That's because he's looking forward to finally getting to kill him," Tony stated. Gibbs unrelenting obsession with Ari would be drawing to a close very soon. Tony had seen it before, his boss was like a dog with a bone and Ari was his bone.

* * *

Gibbs doubled time it back down the stairs after a brief meeting in MTAC. Kate struggled to keep up. Gibbs could handle someone trying to kill him. He could even handle the unwarranted interference by the FBI. But he was going to draw the line at being babysat so they could protect the bad guy. To him that went beyond the limit. Gibbs was livid and when he went livid he got quiet.

Gibbs was quiet now.

Tony listened to Kate take charge. It was so easy for her to fall back into her secret service persona. She barked orders and told them how it was going to be. There was something about women in charge that was so alluring. Tony took his orders seriously and watched Gibbs listen intently and then waved the protection away.

"I'll be working on my boat… I don't need a team of agents watching me work now do I? If I leave the building I'll tell you," Gibbs said in an annoyed tone.

Tony sat back in his chair with his legs propped up on the desk. The events of the day turned over in his mind as he drifted off. He felt a cold hand touch his face, it felt nice. He knew who was touching him, knew the texture of that beautiful soft hand. He turned to look up into Kate's concerned face.

"You're hot still," Kate's voice broke the silence. She was worried about him. She remembered how at one time her concern for Tony had been different. Now, Kate wished she could take him home and care for the man she loved.

"Thanks Kate," Tony managed a smile. He knew she had a lot on her mind, so he teased her instead of making her worry even more. But God, he thought as he looked up at her, he couldn't think of better medicine than the woman that looked down at him. How many times had he wondered how they had gotten to this point? He didn't know, but he was so glad that they had gotten there. Never in his life had anyone loved him, he didn't even know how she did. His father had been wrong and he'd been wrong, someone could love him like he needed. What surprised him even more was that he could love her so much, something he didn't think he was capable of. He sighed and allowed his smile to become bigger, letting his love for her shine in his eyes.

"Are you going to be alright? Maybe you should go home," Kate stood right beside him. Great now she sounded like a wife. A wife, she let that though stay for only a moment. Could that ever happen with them? No, it was much to fast for that, but maybe someday. Kate knew she had to get back to work. Only she'd rather be with Tony at his place snuggled up together after making love. She was torn from her reverie when she heard Tony answer her question.

"I really am fine," Tony responded quickly. "All I need is to actually be left alone so I can get the rest that people have been telling me I need," Tony said lightheartedly. He sighed a little unevenly as he lay back on the chair a bit more. He really just wanted to be home in his bed with Kate. They'd make love and then curl up together and he'd get the most wonderful sleep he could ever get. He'd found that he slept much better when Kate spent the night.

Kate looked at him momentarily and then looked around the bullpen. At the moment they were the only ones there. She leaned down and gently turned his head and then brushed her lips against his.

Tony moaned as his hand caressed her face before pulling her down for more. The kiss was deep as their tongues danced together in passion, each one forgetting where they were. It was just them in the world for that moment and their breath sped up. Tony could feel his pants tighten and Kate melt into him. The kiss deepened even more and the feeling they held for one another shot through their bodies. The only thing that saved them was the need for air.

Both panted as their eyes stayed locked together showing the shining light of love and desire.

Kate panted, trying to get her breath back. "God, that should hold us." That was an understatement and she knew it.

Tony's ragged breath was slowly calming down. "Kate……if it wasn't for this case we'd be at my place and I'd show you just how much I love you." Tony told her, he had never been more serious in his life and by the look Kate gave him he knew she understood. He also knew she felt the same.

"Yeah." She smiled and then dropped a kiss on his forehead, "I love you too." She started to straighten up, her eyes bouncing from Tony to the bullpen, "Gotta get back to work, but after we get Ari we'll go to your place and finish this." She smiled brightly at him.

"That we will and then we can have a nice talk, but you're right, back to work." Tony told her as he sat up.

"Talk, huh?" Kate stood ready to leave.

"Yeah, an important talk. Now go, shoo." He chuckled as he patted her backside.

Kate started to leave and then looked back in surprise at the pat. All she got was a wink and a smile from Tony as she started to walk away.

Tony watched her leave. Yeah, he'd decided that it was time to talk and he hoped she'd say yes and move in with him. His mind drifted thinking about her body while he could still smell her scent and feel their kiss on his lips. What better feeling and image to sleep with if you can't have the real thing at the moment? Tony got comfortable again in his chair with his feet back on his desk.

He sighed, for the first time in his life he was content and it was all due to the love he felt and shared with Kate. Those were the thoughts that swam through his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A/N: I must say that I've made my decision on how this is going to end. You know I actually did flip a coin to see where to take it. I must say also that I'm pleased with the result. And I'm happy with the reviews that I've been getting.

A/N: Also… At the risk of getting headslapped, Abby punched and Gibbs glared at. Special thanks to my kangaroo paw for the kiss scene.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chased By The Shadows**_

Tony woke up and felt better after a good nights sleep, even if it was in the office. He went to put on his shoe and heard a moan. He realized it had come from Kate. He grabbed his other shoe, hopped across the bullpen and knelt down beside her before he put it on. Tony knew how terrible it could be to feel trapped within a dream. He was about to reach over and gently wake her up when he heard her gasp.

"Gibbs," Kate gasped.

Tony pulled his hand back in shock at the name that came from Kate's mouth. He never expected to hear that. Was she having some fantasy about Gibbs? Tony wondered and shook his confused head. He doubted that… Or did he?

"Gibbs!" Kate exclaimed as she bolted up. She was sure she mumbled something, but hoped no one understood it. The dream scared her, but she didn't let on as she slowed her breathing and schooled her features. After she climbed to her knees she looked around in a confused state. The curious look on Tony's face snapped her out of it. "What?" She asked while she blinked a couple of times and hoped she hadn't said anything while she dreamt.

"You dream about Gibbs?" Tony looked at her amused, his brow raised in question. He wasn't going to let Kate brush this off. He needed to know for two reasons. One was obvious. Tony didn't want her to dream about any other man except for him. The second was more along the lines of their old banter they enjoyed at work. He could have a lot of fun with this information he reasoned.

"I thought I was –," Tony stumbled, but was glad when McGee quickly interrupted while he strolled into the bullpen.

"What's going on?" McGee enquired. He could see the huge grin on Tony's face.

"Kate dreams of Gibbs," Tony told him and quickly forgot about his first reason. It was comical to hear her call out their boss' name like that. "She practically screamed out his name," it was hilarious to see Kate start to turn a little red as she tried to defend herself over what had happened.

"You're mistaken… You must've misheard me," Kate said to herself.

"Gibbs… Gibbs… Gibbs," Tony said in a feminine voice only to be quickly cut off by a light elbow to the stomach. "Ouch!" Tony gasped with a smile.

"See you're feeling better," Kate turned around when she heard Gibbs enter the bullpen.

"Gear up… We're heading to where Westfall worked," Gibbs copied the address to memory that was on the computer screen. "We'll head there first -," he looked to his left and saw the bulletproof vest that Kate was holding.

"Not without this you're not," Kate said sternly with a voice that said she wasn't going to back down.

For a moment, Gibbs stared at the vest. Past experiences and the look on Kate's face told him that she wouldn't be talked out of it. Gibbs gave a resigned nod. He knew better than to argue. "I can live with that," Gibbs donned the vest without saying another word.

"That's the idea," Kate said. Why were the NCIS men so flippant about their own health and yet be so caring about everyone else's? Fortunately she was there to act as a balance, something she was used to. But it was surprised her that Gibbs didn't offer any resistance.

"Gear up," Gibbs said in a somewhat impatient tone.

* * *

It was obvious that McGee was drooling over the technology that they were walking through. Tony didn't understand a lot of what was being said, but one thing any NCIS agent understood was _soft targets._ The day was going from bad to worse. The FBI had lost their informant in the terrorist cell that they knew held a dangerous bomb and this bomb happened to fly. They knew that the missile was going to be sent into a crowd of people and had to stop it before anyone was killed. And now they had to stop them and jam the signal to this missile.

"Hey, Tony," Kate said to Tony as soon as they got out of the car.

"Kate?" Tony knew her tone was serious. "Something wrong?" He asked.

"Just be careful… Alright?" Kate told him. "I had an interesting talk with Abby," she was cut off by Tony's the wave of his hand.

"Don't worry Kate," Tony gave her a confident smile. "You know how Abby gets… Don't worry. But thanks," he said to her.

"Where are they Boss?" Tony turned his attention to the task at hand. They were in the right area where the terrorists were located. Unfortunately, the block they were on was inhabited by large buildings where the missile could easily be launched. There wasn't enough time to search every building.

"One way to find out," Gibbs held the shotgun up and shot out a light. Shooters soon appeared from different vantage points to their left. Tony heard the snap of a bullet and ducked behind the car before returning fire. "Inside," Gibbs ordered them as the fire fight died down. "McGee, start jamming that thing," he ordered.

"Yes Boss," McGee responded as he began working the computer.

Tony, Kate and Gibbs entered the building while McGee provided cover fire. The firing intensified as the three agents entered the building. There was no need to identify themselves as federal agents in this situation. The rules of engagement were simple… Kill or be killed. The situation actually reminded DiNozzo of the Doom computer game. Death could be just around the corner.

The job at hand became harder as they went up to each level until they finally went through the door that led to the roof. Gunfire could be heard from the street below followed by the sound of a sig going off. Gibbs' mind couldn't be worry about his other agent at the moment. His focus was on a man that was stood by a laptop with his chest puffed out in pride. The man went to grab his pistol only to be gunned down by Gibbs before his fingers neared it.

"McGee," Gibbs shouted into his phone. He looked at the video of the Target Drone as it neared its intended target. "How long 'til you jam this thing?" Gibbs asked.

McGee sounded out of breath. "My computer got shot, Boss," McGee said in response.

Gibbs thought for a moment. "Can you fly that thing?" Tony asked as Gibbs grabbed the joystick, but the video showed that the missile hadn't stopped. The targeted area was still in danger along with all the people that were there to welcome home family and friends.

"Looks like the controls are locked out, Boss," Tony stated the obvious.

"Ya think," Gibbs snapped. "I might not be able to fly this thing but I know how to crash it," Gibbs raised his sig and fired it into the laptop that sent sparks and shards of the screen in the air and haphazardly to the ground.

"Will that work, Gibbs?" Kate asked hopefully as she kept her guard up while she watched for more shooters. "I'm out," she checked her gun and noticed her ammunition was low.

"Only time will tell," Gibbs answered her. It was true; they were low on ammunition. In fact, they were dangerously low. This concerned Gibbs and knew his team felt the same way.

"Shooter!" Kate screamed as she dove behind Gibbs' back and pushed him out of the way before she hit the ground with a sickening thud. Gibbs immediately turned around and aimed at the shooter. He knew that he didn't miss and the terrorist who shot Kate was dead. Gibbs emptied his clip as the roof fell silent.

Tony looked down to Kate. He smiled in relief when she moaned. Kate had felt the bullet thump against her chest, yet was thankful that everyone was alright. "Are you okay?" Tony and Gibbs both helped Kate to her feet.

"I just got shot at point blank range, Tony. What do you think?" Kate asked in an annoyed tone. She was sure that she'd have a couple of bruised ribs from the impact.

"That you won't be going to Pilates class tomorrow," Tony was happy that she wasn't seriously hurt. And the situation was not as dire as he had thought only a moment ago.

"Protection detail's over Kate," Gibbs smiled at Tony's joke and patted Kate on the shoulder. She was breathing in with some shaky breaths. Gibbs would have her checked out by Ducky as soon as they returned to NCIS.

"You did good, Kate," Tony added to the conversation. Of course she did well. Kate was more than a professional. She was a highly trained NCIS agent and a former secret agent.

"For once, DiNozzo's right," Gibbs smiled faintly.

"Wow Gibbs," Kate responded. "I thought I'd die before –," Kate began to say. Tony felt something strike his face. Before he could even react, Kate's body hit the ground again and a pool of blood expanded from beneath Kate's head.

"Ari," Gibbs said as both men had their sigs drawn and pointed in the same direction. That was where the bullet was fired from. There was no sign of the shooter anywhere. "DiNozzo," Gibbs turned around. He was shocked to see blood splatter on the young man's face.

Tony turned to face him but remained silent and expressionless.

"Get on the cell and call Ducky, DiNozzo. Explain to him the situation. I'll explain the situation to McGee and send him up here," Gibbs waited for a response. "DiNozzo," he needed to keep his Senior Field Agent focused on something.

"Yes Boss," Tony finally spoke and nodded.

"I've got to get back to NCIS and report this directly… You two, go see what you find. If there's any problems call me… Wash your face after you make the call," Gibbs ordered him. He tapped Tony on the shoulder on his way past.

"Yes, Boss," Tony responded automatically as he reached for the cell phone. It was difficult to concentrate on the task at hand but he had to. He was a full fledged Agent and had to act like one. Tony composed himself while waiting for Ducky to answer his call.

* * *

A/N: I decided to go with the Canon way. But with some changes in the upcoming chapters. Some scenes I'd have liked to seen. I guess people wouldn't know how close I came to going AU with this story. But I did flip a coin earlier on to see which direction to take and the canon direction won out.


	17. Chapter 17

CHASED 09-17-09

Tony watched Ducky and Palmer take Kate away in a body bag. He didn't say anything to the ME or his assistant. That just left Tony and McGee to bag and tag anything they could find. As if the Angels were mourning, the heavens opened up. Rain fell down like tears.

"We should check that building over there, Probie," Tony pointed towards the building. It was some distance away, but Tony studied the trajectory in his mind. He realized the building could probably house the sniper's nest.

By the time DiNozzo and McGee bagged the evidence from the roof as well as throughout the building, they looked like drowned rats. When they got to the other building there was no security which meant that someone like Ari could get in and out easily without detection. The door wasn't even locked. Even though the place felt like it was empty, Tony and McGee had their sigs drawn, just in case.

"This looks like the floor," McGee said as he opened the door from the stairwell. The elevators weren't operational so they had to climb up the stairs. About halfway up, McGee noticed the eerie silence. He wanted to break the uncomfortable silence, but didn't know what to say. Tony's jovial attitude was long gone. They found a balcony that lined up perfectly to the other building that the three had been on during the fire fight.

"This is the place," McGee stated as he looked around.

Tony used the binoculars to again estimate the trajectory. It was difficult to see the rooftop through the heavy downpour. But the pattern still fit perfectly, just as it had from the other building that Tony had studied. He could clearly see the line that the bullet took and flawlessly hit its target. His mind flashed back to that moment that the target was hit and his heart was again gripped by sadness at the thought of Kate being that target. He pushed away his feelings. He had no time to give into them, he chastised himself. He was a professional agent and that was what he needed to be at the moment. Tony cleared his throat. He was starting to feel cold beneath his clothes.

"Perhaps you should get undercover, Tony," McGee suggested. He noticed the slight shivering as well as Tony clearing his throat. McGee tried his best to avoid Tony's death stare.

"Don't you dare even think about continuing that thought," Tony felt a sudden bout of anger rip through him. He again thought about the job he had to do. And he wasn't about to stop doing it because there was a little bit of rain.

"It's just that Doctor -," McGee was interrupted by a finger being shoved into his face.

"You don't need to tell me what he said, Probie!" Tony snapped. He knew the risks, he knew the complications. "I don't think Brad had this scenario in mind when he was giving me the dos and don'ts, do you?" Tony now waited for a response.

"No," McGee said in a resigned tone. He wasn't about to spend time arguing. It just wasn't worth getting into a shouting match with the Senior Field Agent. The situation was as volatile as any could be.

They finished bagging and tagging the bullet casings that had been left purposely in the sniper's nest. Tony figured whoever this was, and he knew as well as Gibbs, that it was Ari. Again he thought that the sniper purposely wanted them to find the casings by not policing his brass.

The minute they stepped in the NCIS van, Tony suffered from a terrible coughing fit. He felt the cold down to his bones and shook, his body was soaked. The fierce down pour had drenched him through the NCIS jacket and cap. He didn't have to face McGee to know that the younger agent watched him with concern.

McGee patted Tony on the back until it seemed to dislodge the irritation. "Are you okay, Tony?" McGee asked tentatively. Asking Tony _that _question was like walking onto a minefield. It was stepping into very volatile territory.

"Just drive," Tony said quietly and tried to avoid coughing, a stage he thought he was over. "Take the long way around," he told McGee. He turned the heat vents directly on him to get some warmth. The agent hoped this would stop the trembling as well as cough that tickled in his throat.

"But Tony…," McGee was about to object.

"You breathe a word about this to anyone and you'll regret it," Tony sternly warned the younger agent. "We have a job to do and a little coughing fit isn't going to prevent us from doing what we're trained to do. You got that?" Tony eyed McGee. He scrutinized the man until he saw a slight nod that McGee understood. "Good," Tony clipped out while they drove back to NCIS headquarters.

* * *

_**NCIS Bullpen**_

Gibbs had been waiting for Tony and McGee to get back from the crime scene. Losing an agent was hard, especially one that was an important member of the team. Gibbs had to wonder how he sounded so professional while he explained the situation to Director Morrow. There was no time to think of himself now, his team needed to focus. They also needed a solid leader who could help them through this. The elevator signaled the arrival of his two agents.

Tony and McGee didn't speak on the way back. Tony's mind was on the team and what needed to be done. He had never lost a partner this way, let alone a lover. Sure, he had relationships end badly. Yet this wasn't one of them and as much as he played the situation over in his mind it didn't bring Kate back to him. He hated that and fought to stop the thoughts of what he could have done differently. There was nobody he could talk to about the loss he was feeling. There was no one that could understand his grief since they had kept their relationship so secret.

McGee despised silence. It allowed his mind to run freely through the events that had transpired. He had never had somebody ripped away from him like this before. He was no stranger to death of course. But Kate was young, healthy and so full of life. How was he supposed to feel? Was he supposed to feel angry, sad or hatred? McGee wasn't sure how he should be feeling or acting. Maybe it was wise to take a leaf out of Tony's book. The senior agent though irritable, which McGee couldn't blame, now looked rather calm.

"Boss," Tony was the first to speak when they entered the bullpen. His voice was flat and the usual DiNozzo voice was nowhere to be heard. "We did find the nest and some brass," Tony explained as McGee handed over the plastic evidence bag that contained the casings. McGee then began to explain what they were as Gibbs examined them under a desk lamp.

"I'm not saying that you can't see that," McGee quickly corrected himself.

"I can't see it without my glasses," Gibbs said softly. This made Tony's head snap up. He knew that Gibbs would feel something about the loss of Kate. What he hadn't imagined was Gibbs' admittance to a weakness.

"That's all we could find. Though McGee and I could go back and see what else we find," Tony suggested. He watched Gibbs approach and braced himself for a head slap that never came.

"You're soaking wet," Gibbs checked Tony's jacket, cap and body, the man was completely soaked. He also saw the water drip down Tony's hair, face, his whole body and picked up on how Tony tried to hide how he shivered. "Go get changed," Gibbs told Tony with concern. Tony was about to argue, but a cold stare squashed any more thoughts of that. He went on and explained about the full metal jacket bullets.

"How does he know that?" McGee asked. Gibbs didn't give the casings a real hard look. Instead he handed the bag back to the agents.

"Haven't you seen her?" Tony asked and McGee shook his head. "The bullet goes in, doesn't leave too much mess," Tony answered coldly.

"I didn't think I… So she doesn't look too bad then," McGee cursed him self for even thinking something that stupid. Of course Kate didn't look good.

"No, Probie. She looks quite good for someone who's just been shot through the head," Tony poked McGee in between the eyes before reaching around and slapping him on the back of the head. "Except for having a real bad hair day… She's fine," Tony snapped.

"Don't do that, DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"I'm sorry Probie," Tony found himself brought out of his rage. He wasn't even sure why he was so angry at McGee. But he felt the need to just lash out at somebody. The younger agent just happened to be in the firing line.

"I'm going for coffee," Gibbs felt lost. He wasn't sure what he should be doing right now. He needed to get his body moving. Perhaps things would make more sense once he had some coffee and a small break. Somehow he doubted that. "Can I get you boys anything?" He asked with such tenderness.

Tony and McGee looked at each other before shaking their heads. Gibbs patted them on the shoulders before leaving. He wanted to make sure that his men understood that he was there for them. McGee breathed a sigh of relief. He thought the lead agent would be all over them, on the warpath with shouts and head slaps.

"He's being nice," McGee said in a surprised tone.

"I don't like it," Tony watched Gibbs leave. "He's not Gibbs if he's nice," Tony seriously mused. He wanted the old Gibbs back right now. Tony needed normalcy. He needed to be kept in line in order to be able to keep his emotions in tact. There was no way he could give into his grief right now. Yeah, he thought to him self. As if things could ever be back to normal again for him or for NCIS. He actually dreaded going to see Abby. He knew that she would've been informed already by either Ducky or Gibbs.

* * *

_**NCIS Lab**_

"How is everyone?" Abby asked in a somewhat subdued tone.

"Gibbs is being nice, McGee's being quiet," Tony gave a quick rundown of the others' behavior.

"Gibbs is always nice," Abby commented. She was trying to keep it together the only way she knew how so that she could do her job.

"To you and Ducky maybe… But to me it's all head slaps," Tony commented quietly.

"Which makes you feel needed, appreciated," Abby told him. That was true. For some reason, Gibbs slaps brought him to attention, made him feel as though Gibbs wanted him on his team and to keep Tony at his best.

"How are you, Tony?" Abby asked. She knew about the relationship that he was having with Kate and knew that he had to be hurting deeply.

"Ask me again sometime," Tony told her. He couldn't think about it right now. No, he had to keep his mind on the case and his emotions buried.

What Tony couldn't say was that he had thrown his jacket in the garbage. There were blood stains on it, Kate's blood. It was just another cold reminder of someone lost. It wasn't like he needed anymore reminders. He remembered how he had scrubbed so hard to get any of her blood that was left off of him.

Tony watched Abby's temper explode when Tony only showed the casings to her. He knew the two women were close. If he could take the brunt of the anger, then he could protect his team and help them heal in one swoop.

The rain pelted against the window to lab from outside. Suddenly the sound was different and part of the glass broke, leaving a bullet sized hole. Tony didn't need to think, instinct took over in time to react. He lightly tackled Abby to the ground and covered her. More bullets were shot into the lab.

"Wow," Abby said as she began feeling his biceps. "You've really put on some muscle," she commented as they crawled safely away from the window. "And a nice booty too," she commented.

"Is this the way you always react to getting shot at?" Tony asked. Not daring to get up and see where the bullets were coming from.

"Don't know… This is my first time," Abby shrugged her shoulders.

"Boss… Get down, we're taking fire," Tony noticed Gibbs crouch down. It was obvious that the older man already knew and proceeded to turn off all the lights in the lab.

The rain of bullets stopped. Now it was time to get back to work. Gibbs explained to them that he was probably the intended target. He explained further that he had just walked by the window when the first shot occurred. This seemed to put Abby's mind at ease or as much as she could be during the crisis.

* * *

_**Outside of NCIS**_

Tony escaped the confinement of NCIS and Gibbs' orders for everyone to remain indoors. He wasn't sure what he was going to do or even what would happen. His vigilant eyes watched every move around him. There was no way he was going to be attacked from behind. A figure stood near the bench.

"Are you sure you should be out in this weather given your medical history?" the accented voice asked. The figure stepped more into the poorly lit area. Tony froze, a ghost of a smile appeared on his face. He sat down on the bench and watched people walk by and wondered if any of them knew that a great woman had died today. They probably had no idea that an Agent Kate Todd even existed. But she did…


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chased By The Shadows**_

_A/N: I've decided to change some scenes in Kill Ari 1 & 2 to fit in with my version of events. But the main storyline will be the same._

"_Dear God… A cylinder's landed on the house. We're underneath it, in the pit" – Parson Nathanial_

"_The Martians spent the night making a new machine, it was a squat metallic spider, with two huge articulated claws. But it too had a hood in which a Martian sat. I saw it chasing people across a field, picking them up nimbly and tossing them into a large metal basket on its back." – Narrator_

"_Beth! She's dead, buried under the rubble. Why?! Why did you take one of your own?!" – Parson Nathanial_

_Lyrics from Spirit Of Man (Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds)_

Tony sat on the bench while revulsion bubbled inside. Not a word passed his lips for the moment. The man with the accent stood in front of him and looked down, amused at the agent's temperament. "Well Agent DiNozzo," The man started calmly.

"Ari," Tony hissed with disgust. His hand went straight to his sig when Ari sat down beside him. He fought the desire to place a bullet in the same place the sniper had put Kate's, nothing would please him more. "You're here to shoot me? You've been waiting for one of us to come out of the NCIS building so you could take us down one at a time?" Tony watched as an innocent person fought with their umbrella, though his body was still on full alert. Tony kept his hands in his pockets and waited for an answer.

Ari shrugged his shoulders confidently while Tony continued. "You going to wait at a distance and pick people off. I always thought snipers were a bunch of cowards. Too afraid to see any real action," Tony venomously tried to goat the man by hitting that raw nerve.

Ari laughed, even more amused with the effects of his game. "Teach you that at NCIS do they, Agent DiNozzo? Guess your Agent Gibbs will see that differently," he continued on. He was used to how agent Gibbs and DiNozzo attempted to bait. He wouldn't react to it, that wasn't the game. He had studied the whole team and knew how they played. Only they didn't know everything about how he played which gave Ari the advantage.

Tony scoffed. "I'm bringing you in," Tony only wanted to watch in satisfaction when he feed the man to Gibbs. But if Ari tried to escape it would be more satisfying to shoot the man who killed his Kate. Curiosity got the better of him and a question burned inside that needed an answer. "So… Why are you sitting here talking to me and not putting a bullet between my eyes?" Tony bitterly asked as Ari turned to face him.

"You're in a rush to die are you? Perhaps you are, since you've come out by yourself… Ah. I get it now," Ari said in sudden realization. Like a chess game, he played with this NCIS team. Only DiNozzo at the moment was the chess piece he was playing. "You had feelings for Caitlin. Who would have thought that from Agent DiNozzo? You want to die so you can be with her, is that it? How romantic of you. Something like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?" he asked and leaned forward just a little bit, the game still in play.

Tony stood up. "You're coming with me," Tony was surprised when Ari stood up as well. Maybe this was going to be easier than he thought. "I don't have any delusions that I'd see Kate again," Tony responded to Ari's earlier comment. He didn't realize that to Ari, this was a game. Yet it was true; there'd be no heavenly reunion. There had to be a special, special place for his sweet, Kate. That place was somewhere that Tony thought he'd never be able to reach. No… There'd be no reunion for them.

Ari had seen the seriousness in Tony's face. Since there had been something going on between the agents, Ari doubted if he'd even be alive to be taken to Gibbs. Ari noticed Tony's attention had been momentarily distracted by something. That was enough time for Ari to make his move and throw the Agent to the ground. "I can't be taken in yet," Ari bent down and explained while he held Tony in place.

"Why didn't you shoot me?" Tony asked. The move was made so quickly and he wasn't sure how, but Ari got the jump on him. The agent cursed himself at how he allowed this to happen. How now, a second later, he found his body held by this mad man on the wet ground.

"You want to know why Agent DiNozzo, I'll tell you why," Ari said as his face loomed down over the agent. "Caitlin was an excellent profiler… Miss Scuito is great with forensics and Agent McGee is excellent with computer systems. Tell me Agent DiNozzo, what it is that you bring the table. Think about it and look at yourself. You're not even important enough for me to kill you. Why don't you go back and ask Agent Gibbs to confirm your meaning to the team," Ari told him before he let go, walked off and quickly disappeared. So quickly, that if Tony wasn't on the ground he'd have asked himself if the whole situation really happened.

Tony climbed to his feet. He wanted to go after Ari. The man had already created distance between the two and then disappeared. Tony wouldn't be able to catch up and find him. The inability to draw the needed oxygen into his damaged lungs made him frustrated and angry as hell. "Fuck!" he growled.

Tony hit the ground, hard, from being too lightheaded to remain upright. "They're going to kill me," he referred to Gibbs, Ducky, Brad or whoever that was around him right now. But maybe Ari was right, why else wasn't he on his way to autopsy. Tony felt his face hit the ground.

"Get up Tony… Tony!" A female voice called out. Tony lifted his head and tried to remember to keep breathing regularly. "Don't tell me you've let Ari get to you. Don't you know your place by now?"

He looked up to see Kate standing in front of him. Dressed from neck to toe in a brownish/red robe, she looked untouched by the falling rain. He chuckled lightly at the ghostly apparition standing before him.

"Get up Tony," the figure said again. "You know what Gibbs would do to you if he knew you were lying down on the job," Kate admonished.

"He'll kill me," Tony responded quietly.

"You got that right," Kate agreed. "What are you waiting for Tony?" She asked.

"Hoping for you to come and join me," Tony masked the torment he was feeling.

"Tony!" Kate looked shocked. She slowly dissipated.

"Kate? Kate!" Tony almost shouted. He mentally kicked himself when he got to his feet. Being chauvinistic was always his way to deal with how he felt. He knew if he didn't that would allow people to see his vulnerability. It was so easy to fall back into the old but comfortable routine. It felt safer too. "Good going Anthony, you just manage to alienate a ghost," he scolded softly. He'd managed to alienate Kate. Well, it had to be better than to allow the inner pain he felt to tear him apart.

"Hey man, are you all right?" A stranger asked.

Tony stared at him blankly. Why was he being asked if he was okay? There was nothing wrong with him. "I'm fine," Tony thought he'd better answer. It was only then that he knew what the man must have seen. Again, his body shivered. He knew this was how the body tried to get its temperature back up.

"I think you better find some shelter," the man told him.

"Don't touch me," Tony snapped. He knew the man was only trying to help him, but he no longer cared about himself. He was just mad as hell at everything and everybody. He would fight like hell and make sure no one got in. They didn't know anything about him, or how he felt.

"Look man," the stranger tried again even though he was surprised at the other man's outburst. "You're drenched to the bone," and to prove the point he knocked the peak of the cap which allowed the water to drip down. He thought about saying nothing further. In hindsight that might've been the best way to proceed.

Tony was annoyed at the man for not knowing anything. While NCIS was mourning the loss of one of its finest agents and a person he so desperately loved, the world was continuing on. That made Tony even angrier, Kate was gone. He just couldn't understand how people could happily go on with their lives, like nothing even happened. They'd complained about the rain and about the cold. It was business as usual for the self absorbed people of the world.

"A federal agent was killed today… Do you think I care about being a little wet or cold?" Tony furiously asked the man.

"I'm sorry," the man didn't know what to say.

"Right… Do me a favor, instead of saying you're sorry, light a candle tonight," Tony suggested.

"Wait… _You're_ a federal agent too?" The man asked disbelievingly.

Tony didn't answer. Instead he worked harder to bury what he felt deeper. He checked his watch and thought that he better get back to NCIS. For a moment, he thought that it may work better if he riled his boss up. The silver-haired boss was just not Gibbs at the moment. Did the withdrawal of head slaps that made Tony focus mean that Gibbs didn't care? That was the thought going through his mind. Any doubts he had, anything he (felt) had to be pressed deep down. Not just for himself, but for his colleagues.

_**NCIS Bullpen Following day**_

Tony's eyes went from the computer screen to the picture he had in his hand. It was a real strain on the eyes trying to match up tire tracks with a vehicle. It seemed that most tracks looked the same but there were always such subtle differences. His attention shifted. He watched and studied the rain that still poured down from the sky and hit the window outside. The night before still was fresh in his mind, even with the minimal amount of hours sleep. The situation still seemed bleak. Tony saw Gibbs approach his desk and waited for him to speak.

"I'm just matching tires tracks with cars," Tony's attention was momentarily distracted by the mysterious redhead who accompanied Gibbs. Tony wasn't sure who she was since Gibbs seemed to have no intention of introducing her.

"McGee is running ballistics with Abby. Nobody's to leave the building. I'll be back in about an hour," Gibbs figured that everybody had their own work to attend to. That should keep them busy, focused and in the building. He wasn't sure about one thing though. Why Tony was doing his utmost to piss him off, but Gibbs was intent on giving his Senior Field Agent a certain amount of leeway. He knew Kate's death had taken its toll on everyone, so he'd let some things slide as long as the job got done.

Tony watched the mysterious woman leave with his boss. She was dressed like a career doll Barbie, except for the hair. Barbie had blonde hair down to her shoulders, this woman had her red hair tied into a nice bun. The woman seemed all business and looked dressed to kick ass, but with a pen.

"Your mother should've washed your mind out with soap, Tony," Tony could imagine Kate saying this with their usual banter. She used to take his behavior the wrong way, but since they gotten together that opinion had recently changed. "Gibbs leaves with a woman and all you're thinking is… Nooner," Kate's apparition mocked him lightheartedly.

"Was not," Tony imagined them having this conversation in the bullpen. It was easily done and in his mind it seemed so real.

"Was too," Kate smiled back. "I always knew what you were thinking, Tony," she said.

Tony lowered his eyes. It was tough to not think about the last moment of her life. Instead he tried to conjure up something good that been recent to chase away the reality he didn't want to face. He smiled mischievously.

"What? What are you up to?" Kate looked down at the clothes she was wearing. Gone was the normal work suit she wore, but now in its place was a skimpy nurse's outfit. It looked like a costume you picked up from an adult sex store. "Tony! I've just died and you're having a sexual fantasy?" She asked in shock.

"I can't help it," Tony answered. It was hard not to. Kate had always been attractive, she knew it. Tony imagined a fantasy they hadn't gotten the chance to play. Her buttons from the nurse's outfit slowly began to unbutton by themselves while Kate struggled to keep them from not becoming unbuttoned. Her top now being opened revealed, an almost see through silky white bra.

"DiNozzo!" Kate screamed. She couldn't make it stop, she was losing the battle.

"I often pictured you in this and slowly becoming naked," Tony said with a laugh. It was funny seeing Kate fight to keep her clothes on. "For a long time, even before we were together," he added. But even through the fun and games he felt the heavy loss. No fantasizing was ever going to fulfill that void of bringing her back, or their passionate love making. In a flash, Kate was gone. But not the feelings. He smiled and suddenly realized that he was not alone in the bullpen. "I'll call you back," he spoke into the phone to cover his erratic behavior to the stranger. "Hi," he greeted. "I was just…"

"Having phone sex?" The short slim woman raised her eyebrows.

Tony chuckled. That sounded plausible. He could tell that she was a foreigner so he thought about coming up with a better explanation. "Charades," he gave the simple answer as the woman walked over to his desk.

"Charades? Like uh," she made a video camera motion with her hands.

"You've played," Tony said.

"Never over the phone," the woman answered.

"Friend and I were going over some quotes," Tony simply said. But it was time to get back to business and again push his feelings for Kate down. He thought he'd deal with his grief alone, in his apartment, with a bottle. There had already been one mystery woman. This one's entrance (\he was determined would be explained. One way or another. "Who are you?" He dismissed anymore personal issues.

"Ziva David," Ziva flashed her ID. "Mossad," she answered.

Tony's mind quickly clicked into gear. This definitely had to have something to do with Ari Haswari. But he wasn't given any orders to co-operate as of yet so he wasn't going to share anything with the stranger. But he had heard Scuttlebutt mainly about Mossad. One of the main ones being that Mossad was Israel's version of Hamas.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Chased By The Shadows**_

* * *

_**Just a Matter of Hours**_

_Tony's POV_

This may be arrogance on my part or may be the truth… But I really do understand how easily things can change in just a matter of hours. It can be a matter of hours when a completely healthy man can come so close to death. In just a matter of hours… You can go from the top of the world to the depths of hell. One bullet could change so many things. That's all it damn well took. In a matter of hours, I could refuse to let any more women into my life. Hell, they'd just leave anyway. One way or the other, they'd exit out of my life.

In a matter of hours… We'd lost a Director and gained a hot under the collar redhead. She was feisty, nonsensical and walked around with a huge stick up her ass. She had a history with that Israeli Mossad chick. But she didn't elaborate. My mind wonders when I watch Ziva and the Director leave. A head slap pulls me back into gear. In just a matter of hours, Gibbs was back and to his gruff old self… Thank God. It was kinda weird when Gibbs was being, well being non-Gibbs. It was a pain in the ass having to tail Ziva David and keep an eye on her. Tailing a Mossad officer isn't easy and especially if they know. She's actually quite nice in an I-can't-quite-trust-you sort of way. She offered me coffee, I gave her my last piece of pizza… But it didn't matter. She was in cahoots with Ari Haswari… The devil incarnate, who took the woman I loved away. Hell, I don't even despise my father as much as him.

In a matter of hours… Gibbs went from a man on a mission to one who was downed. Evidence pointed to the guy Gibbs and the Director shot dead. Honestly if all the evidence pointed in one direction, that was when he got suspicious. The Director told us all to go home, our work was done and Kate's funeral would be the next day. Normally I'd be thrilled with a private jet ride… But in a matter of hours, even that had been taken away from me. I don't know how I'll get through the funeral. How I'll hide the love of my life being put in the ground. I have always been able to hide my emotions. I learned early on how to do that with a straight face. In a matter of hours…..I'll find out if I can keep a mask over my broken heart and keep people away. This is my grief, my cross to bear. I'm trying hard. There will be plenty of time to grieve on my own.

Gibbs and Abby know about me and Kate. I'm almost certain that Gibbs knows but Gibbs isn't saying anything; I guess he has his own grief to deal with. Abby, I have to see her as little as possible; she is the one who could crack my mask. I'm trying to hold on to my mask for dear life and it's all too familiar with my younger years. In a matter of hours…. I'll see if I can do it, I have to do it, my life depends on it.

_____________________________________________________________

_McGee's POV_

Things change quicker than computer updates. Everything used to be simpler. Sure being an agent has had its rough times. Only back before Ari all I had to worry about was getting teased, pranked or a new McNickname. Getting the rough end of the stick or even the shit jobs doesn't mean a thing now. Oh, Kate… I'd take it all with a smile if that meant it would bring you back. I really liked you Kate. I know it's impossible to say that to you now. Did I ever tell you that? Did you even know that? Ah, Tony's feeling it worse… I know. He pretends to be the nothing-fazes me super agent but he's only human after all. Was I right? Was something going on with you two? Were you, the good girl going with the renegade? Ha!

Too much can happen. There was a lot going on. Isn't there always? Losing a fellow agent was bad enough… Losing the Director was bad as well. But to have someone from another country come in and tell us what to do. Tony had followed Mossad Officer David around to see where it'll lead. I was in charge of looking after Abby. She wasn't too shaken up when somebody shot into her lab, but it made everyone feel better to know that she was being looked after. Then things went to the dogs…

Ducky went missing, Gerald, who was Ducky's first assistant, had been kidnapped by Ari and subsequently released under his own reconnaissance once Ducky took his place. Whatever was going on… Gibbs was ready to riot. Fortunately, Ducky had been released safely. Abby and me finally placed Ari at the scene where Kate was gunned down. Finally we got the proof they needed.

But the new Director and Gibbs had shot a man carrying a rifle. Everything matched up. Despite what I'm feeling, the proof is right there in front of us. Ari was not the sniper. This young man was. He shot at our Boss and new Director. They took him down… Case closed. I'd still have liked to see Ari Haswari brought in, we all know he was the one, not this other guy…..

_______________________________________________________________________

_Abigail's POV_

NCIS seems so different now. Sure, Agents come and go. But not Kate… She was one in a million. She was my best friend. I don't give two hoots about somebody firing into my lab. But I draw the line at my people getting hurt. Sure Tony's being all brave and all that. He's hiding behind his façade of machoness. I know he's hurting but, yeah I know, I can't approach him since he has to come to me. He knows Kate told me about the two of them and she was so happy. I was happy for them, my two friends, even though they broke rule 12. I know Tony is keeping a little distance. I only hope he will grieve and maybe I can help him and he me. Darn it! Why do things have to go so wrong at once? New rule… There has to be a week in between bad things happening. It gives us enough time to prepare and recover.

We were given an order to stay in the building. Everybody staying in the building? Ha! First Tony goes out to do some sort of secret agent work for Boss-man. I can handle that. Then Ducky leaves… Alright. Then HE leaves… Then we find out from long-forgotten Gerald that Ducky is in the hands of Ari. What was he thinking?! I mean I know Gerald was in trouble but this is not right. Not right at all.

Kate, some people think I'm strange, but they'd really think me strange if they knew I still talked to you. Oh how I miss our talks, Kate. Well let me get you up to speed even though I know somehow you are watching us. How else could Tony have been there to save me from that bullet? Well, ok, here it goes. We have a new Director, Kate. I don't know if you'd like her. She actually reminds me a lot of you of when you first came to NCIS. She may need to let her hair down too. Thankfully, Ducky returned unharmed. I was really worried, but it makes me wonder what game Ari is playing with us. He's guilty! Well I think he is… Gibbs thinks he is and I know that Tony and McGee think he is. But there are things that just don't add up. Even when we received evidence to the contrary, some things were just too hinky. Things didn't go together. The pieces just didn't fit together. It looked like Gibbs was giving up the fight. Deep down I know nothing is further from the truth. Team Gibbs… Us. We never give up. No retreat, no surrender. That should be our new motto. I know you know it's raining out. Funny how it started to rain after you died. I think that they are tears from heaven, because you died. Oh boy, another reason people would think I'm weird if they over heard me while talking to you and the things I said. You know, I just don't care, 'cause the team understands. We'll get him for all he's done to us, to Gerald, to Tony's heart, to ours, but especially for you, Kate. You are my friend and I'll never forget you….

__________________________________________________________

_Ducky's POV_

I felt terrible about causing worry to my friends. What had to be done, had to be done. Ari had those icy eyes. But being so close to the man revealed so much more. In the world there were monsters and then there are wolves in sheep's clothing. Ari is a wolf that masqueraded as an educated, caring man. Honestly, in a different world… A different time perhaps, we could have become friends. Only then I must remind myself of what this man has done. I have to remind myself of what games this man had played.

Ari put a bullet in Gerald's shoulder. I can't be a hundred percent certain, but I'm willing to bet he had Caitlin kidnapped. He was very charming to her. I know it was due to being captivated by our lovely Caitlin. That didn't stop his vendetta against Gibbs. I do believe it was her undoing. Oh dear, that does remind me of a story from my youth, well, I think at this time it would be better to leave that story for another time….

You know… We never truly personally examine ourselves deeply until we are forced to. It is unfortunate that it usually takes a death for us to realize that. It's hard to believe that one person's death could set in motion a chain of events like this. Now with Director Morrow gone, we have a new Director, new, but with a shaky alliance with Mossad. Politics and law enforcement do not make for a good cocktail. Usually an obsession can be a deadly trait… Often it proves to be fatal. But in Jethro's case it seems to make him more focused, much to the dismay of our new Director. I do know her from an exciting past, when she was an agent and our Jethro knows her as well. I do suspect that past will be a problem for both, but only a temporary one at best. Oh dear, that is another story for another time and as for Jethro it's his story to tell…..

___________________________________________________________________

_Gibbs' POV_

How can things get shot to hell so quickly… I don't know. Well, at least Tom endorsed my recommendation for Kate Todd. She deserved the Presidential Medal Of Freedom. He had my back, yet he quit NCIS for another agency. It surprised me that he quit during a time of crisis. I was even more surprised when my old partner, Jenny Shepard was appointed as Director. Now that was a kick to the gut. As always, Jenny shot straight from the hip.

Proof! Ha! If we all waited for physical evidence, a lot of things would go wrong. She's no field agent anymore. Jen's now a politician. Hell, she's already going on about kissing ass and Capitol Hill meetings… She has barely even sat in the chair yet.

I knew my old partner was in there somewhere. She still has the Field Agent in her blood and so I knew she still have my six. I took her out with me in the field. I almost came to regret that decision when the bastard took a shot at her. Much to my dismay, the man we shot dead was not Ari. Jenny couldn't contain her relief at keeping the Israeli Mossad and the American NCIS alliance open. Everybody told me the details… I half listened to them as I replayed the events in my mind. They said that the physical evidence pointed to that kid as being the sniper… But really, it all pointed to him being used as scapegoat. This was done only to make us think that he was the one, the one who snuck into autopsy, the one who shot Gerald and the one who killed Kate.

Fortunately, I managed to convince Ziva, the Mossad agent, to either prove me right or wrong. She was Ari's Control Officer. Her ass was on the line if he was proven to have gone rogue. I know it's a damn lot of trust I'm giving her. But I'm willing to do that if it means bringing that bastard down.

My team has done all that they can. It was time for them to go home, prepare for Kate's funeral. I only hope that Tony can grieve and get through this, that my whole team can. I've been where Tony is now and I pray he doesn't turn to be the way I was when I grieved for Shannon and Kelly. I have to believe that he will be alright. That time will heal, that we all will be alright and start anew.

* * *

_**Autopsy**_

Tony watched McGee enter Autopsy and watched him pull out Kate's lifeless body. Ducky patted Tony on the shoulder in silence. He knew what Tony had to do. But also knew that McGee had to go in by him self. It wasn't until McGee pulled back the white sheet off Kate's face that Tony walked in.

"Told you she didn't look so bad," he said to McGee. There was no vocal response. "He thought you'd look like Return Of The Living Dead," he walked to the other side of the autopsy drawer, solemnly. Tony's mask was pulled on tight to help his friend and so he wouldn't break down in the process. She still looked beautiful and he only wanted to kiss her, but he pushed those feelings down. He couldn't go there, not now and so he turned in the direction of his cover, his mask.

"Did not," McGee tried to keep him self upbeat. He tried to keep the banter going. It was a poor attempt at keeping his emotions in check. Everyone else seemed to be handling things a lot better than he was.

"Don't lie to the dead McGee. It's not nice," Tony responded seriously. This wasn't a time for banter or teasing.

McGee swallowed. He wanted to let his emotions loose but couldn't in front of anybody. "I was a little scared," McGee admitted. He was afraid she'd be a mess and didn't want to see that. He wanted to remember Kate and her beauty, inside and out.

"The kid was terrified," Tony said near Kate's ear. "But he showed a lot of guts coming in here by him self. Shows how much he cared," Tony masked it as talking to Kate. But he wanted McGee to hear what he thought about him. It was tough on the Probie.

"I really did like you, Kate," McGee said, his voice filled with a sorrow that tore at Tony's heart. They put Kate's body back into storage. "I wish I was more like you… More in control of my self," McGee said to Tony.

Tony's head snapped up at this. "Don't say that. You're a good man, McGee and a good agent," he said, knowing he wasn't in full control, that it was an illusion for the team. He would grieve on his own as he promise himself. Maybe with some photos and that bottle he had been thinking about, but not now, this wasn't the time or place.

"I'm sorry, Tony," McGee apologized. He had to say something. "How are you holding up?"

Tony thought hard for a moment. How did he feel? He didn't know because he hadn't allowed it to come out yet. Although he had to fight back the pain in his heart many times since Kate had died. He would never tell McGee that. "I am fine," he responded flatly.

"It's just… You know… You and her," McGee couldn't bring him self to finish the sentence. What if he was wrong about them sleeping together?

"Me and Kate," Tony scoffed. He was surprised that somebody besides Abby and maybe Gibbs had figured it out. "She was too smart for that," he added. She should've been. But circumstances seemed to dictate their relationship. Why the hell was she the one who had to die? "I'm going to get some things," Tony changed his tune before leaving autopsy. It was hard to believe that that was one of the last times he'd see Kate.

* * *

_**Bullpen**_

McGee watched Tony hang up the phone and zone out for a moment. It was clear that the phone call had unsettled the rocky exterior of the Senior Field Agent. "Some phone call?" McGee asked.

Tony wiped his eyes as he composed him self before answering. "Paula Cassidy… She just wanted to send her condolences to the team. She heard about Kate," Tony explained. McGee only just made the words out. He hadn't heard from her for such a long time. The surprise and content of the phone call chiseled away at the exterior appearances he was trying so hard to maintain.

"Oh," McGee responded.

Tony went to open his desk drawer so he could retrieve his toothbrush and water. He needed to brush his teeth. But it seemed to get jammed. That was when he began violently shaking the handle.

"Tony?" McGee asked. He wasn't sure if he should say something.

Tony ignored the comment as he almost pulled the drawer off its hinges. The damned thing wasn't co-operating. Nothing was. He slammed the drawer shut and kicked the desk with built up frustration. He couldn't hide such strong feelings constantly and especially after just seeing Kate a few minutes before. "You piece of shit!" He cursed, taking the pent up emotions out on the desk.

"Tony?" McGee asked nervously.

"Just leave me alone… I just need some alone time," Tony said without looking in his direction as he headed off to the men's bathroom. It was the first time since he'd been back that he actually had time for him self. He was beginning to feel crowded by everybody. He realized that his mask was very hard to hold up, especially around everyone and now with Paula calling, well, that was the icing on the cake. He really needed to break down and the constant pushing down of all his pent up feeling were costing him. So he walked quickly to the head and hoped no one would notice.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chased By The Shadows**_

The reflection stared back at him. The green eyes glistened in the light, threatening to release the emotion that the reflection had kept pent up much too long. It reached down and brushed its teeth vigorously before rinsing out a mouthful of water. And stared straight at the agent before it. This was so foreign to him so he watched silently. He waited for the counterpart to act, not familiar with the emotions that bounced around like an out of control ball waiting to be caught.

"Stop mocking me!" Tony felt like throwing something against the reflection in the mirror. He wanted to shatter the poor excuse of a human being looking back at him. "Don't show emotion… People will just laugh and tear you down," Tony easily convinced him self that that's how everyone would see it. After all, this was what his father said and raised him to believe it to be true.

Confusion and disgust hit Tony. His head swirled at the thought that it didn't matter how many times he'd rinsed his mouth out, he still could taste Kate's blood. He could still feel and smell the blood that had spattered on him and ran down his face. He tried to wash that away to, but it didn't work either. The reflection still showed the blood on his face, Kate's blood.

The sound of the door handle clicking and then opening broke Tony out of his self absorbed behavior. Then the ominous silence told Tony who it was. "Hey, Boss," he greeted in monotone.

Perhaps there was something else Gibbs needed. He would've welcomed it really, anything to take his mind off the thoughts he battled about Kate. Work was the only way he knew how to deal with these feelings. When he was alone, then he could think about how one bullet and one man had taken away the one thing he had searched for all his life. That was truly being loved unconditionally by another and how that person could help him understand how to do the same. Only right now there was work to be done.

Gibbs locked the door from the inside. This made Tony take a step back, the thoughts of Kate dissolved into nervousness. It could only mean one thing if his boss was trapping him. He was going to get chewed out. Whatever the reason, Tony was sure that that he deserved it. Gibbs didn't chew people out just for no reason.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs treaded carefully. His voice was missing the gruffness usually attached to his tone. "I wanted to see how you were," Gibbs said while he observed his first in command.

"I'm fine," Tony responded the way he usually did when he didn't want people to know there was anything wrong.

"You and I know that's bullshit," Gibbs always found that when dealing with Tony, it was best to go the direct route. "I saw your little outburst in the bullpen… I'm sure the whole squad room heard it as well," he told Tony waiting for more from the younger man.

"Sorry about that," Tony shrugged his shoulders like he always did when he needed to play something down. He hated how stupid he'd been to let his mask slip like that. And all it took was a stupid drawer.

"Damn it, DiNozzo," Gibbs stood in between Tony and the door. He didn't want his Senior Field Agent to escape this. He knew how easy it was to lose sight of what was important. Tony needed to let it out and allow the healing to begin. "You need to face this… You have to deal with this," he said softly as he remembered how he'd dealt with Shannon and Kelly's death.

Tony went to walk pass Gibbs. He didn't make it far. Gibbs put a hand on Tony's chest and pushed him backwards lightly. "What?" Tony was shocked at the action.

"Tony… I've been where you are. Do I know how you feel exactly? No. But I do know you. I don't know why you're so intent on letting your own grief eat you alive," Gibbs kept at him. He knew he was taking the aggressive approach. He wanted to stir the young man's emotions so that they'd surface. Then Tony would have to deal with them and the team could pull together and help him through it. Gibbs was concerned. He didn't want Tony to suffer the same way he had at the death of his loved ones.

"I'm not letting it eat me up… I'll deal with it on my own," Tony responded. That was the best way. Hell, it was the only way. He had never learned how to deal with his emotions and doing it alone was the only way he'd find out. Sure, he had dealt with his mother's death, but he hadn't understood how, no one was there to help him through it.

Gibbs approached Tony and almost stood nose to nose. "Are you trying to prove you're tougher than McGee, Abby or me? You've really made him feel worse or is that your intention? Is that **you** dealing with it?!" Gibbs stopped short of poking the younger man in the chest and didn't give him a chance to answer. That wasn't THE button that Gibbs needed to push to open Tony up and, he knew it. There was a moment of softness in Gibbs' eyes. It was almost like an apology for what was about to come. "Guess I had you wrong, Tony. I really thought you cared for Kate, but I guess you didn't. After all she did for you… You show no emotion whatsoever. I expected better from you," Gibbs continued to press. He knew he had to ride the man and make him crack. He wasn't looking forward to it, but it had to be done. Gibbs knew a little about Tony's past, had watched him over the years and knew that his agent didn't have the skills to cope with something so painful.

Tony was momentarily stunned. The statement hurt and added to the pain he was feeling. Of course he felt the hurt that tore at his heart, the horrible ache of losing her. They loved each other, something he never had and didn't think he'd ever have. He thought it was obvious that Gibbs knew how he and Kate felt. Perhaps his boss was taking that anger out on him. Tony contemplated that this was his punishment for breaking rule 12.

"I loved her, Gibbs. How can you say that? How can you say I don't care!? I loved Kate and she loved me… I know it's hard to believe and you're acting as if I'm inhuman," Tony tried to calm his tone. He knew his wall was cracking, he wanted to stop it. The problem was that the horrible pain was trickling out, pushing so hard against the wall that he so desperately needed to stay in place.

"Tony," Gibbs said.

"I loved her and she's gone… Kate's gone and part of me's gone with her so don't expect me to be so damn open… I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. I don't how to act. I feel so angry but I know I have no right," Tony took in a few deep ragged breaths. All he had just said was sadly true. He didn't' know how to feel and didn't understand the jumbled emotions that were playing with his heart. He wanted to pull himself together, but he didn't know if he could at this point. Gibbs was pressing buttons they he couldn't deflect, not in his weak and confused state.

Gibbs sighed. "You have the right to feel how you feel… Everyone does," he said calmly. He knew now that he had pushed the door opened that if was only a matter of minutes before Tony would break. He'd been a walking time bomb and this had been Gibbs intent, so he waited.

"No… It's not right that I feel angry… I feel angry at Kate. She left me. She helped me through the plague and she left before I had a chance to repay her," Tony's breathing hitched as he tried to hold back the tears.

"Hey," Gibbs put an arm around Tony's shoulders. He wanted to give this young man who he'd grown close to, some comfort.

"Don't… I shouldn't feel this way," Tony pulled away. He didn't deserve any comfort. His father made sure he learned that lesson quickly with neglect and the rules that he'd instilled in his son's head. DiNozzo's don't cry and they handle things on their own was a few on the list of many. He had never gotten any comfort before he joined NCIS. Yet old habits die hard and he remembered how he had to deal with the confused and jumbled feeling of his mother's death. How he had to learn to deal with everything on his own. When he joined NCIS, after some time he had Abby, she caught him off guard and somehow weaseled her way through that wall. And Kate, she had done the same just a short time ago. He knew Gibbs was hard, but at times the man was there for Tony, but in a different way from Abby and Kate. Ducky also had his moments where they would talk, yet Tony still kept some of his wall in place.

"You're confused, upset, angry, to name a few. But remember… The more you bury your feelings, the more they'll come out at inopportune times. You'll find yourself lashing out at anyone that so much as looks at you differently," he remembered those times that he too had done what Tony was doing. His temper had such a short fuse. He didn't want to see Tony go down the same road as he did.

"Yeah right," Tony answered as he tried to replace that guarded wall of deflection. He didn't feel like he was going to snap at anybody as long as he could keep that barrier up. He felt like he was doing a great job at keeping his emotions in check. Of course there were times when he wanted to explode but, he reigned him self in. He had made a mistake with McGee in a moment of weakness, where his wall came partly down. He had gone to the head to put it back in place so that weakness wouldn't happen again. Yet another rule of his father's: DiNozzo's aren't weak. Before Tony could say anything Gibbs' cell began ringing.

"I have to take this," Gibbs looked closely at the small cell screen. "Go to the funeral... Lean on the others. Show that you're hurting too... It's okay to do that, Tony," Gibbs said to his Senior Field Agent. He could only hope that something he said had gotten through to the younger man. He wished he had Ducky's words or Abby's ways to get through that wall right now, because he knew that Tony had to let it out. He had to feel and grieve before it was too late and something happened. Gibbs was all too familiar with this scenario and wished his cell had waited to ring.

Tony's eyes widened in shock at his boss. He had assumed that whatever was left of Team Gibbs would go to the funeral. "You're not coming?" Tony asked. Truth be told, he felt he needed that solid rock. But how could you ever ask a gruff ex-marine to stand by you and catch you when you will surely fall? His heart sank at the thought. But, hell, he should be able to get through this on his own, like he had been taught.

"I'll be there," Gibbs said as he unlocked the door. "Whatever happens... I'll make sure I'm there," he assured him. Usually, Gibbs would never make a promise like this. Well, since he wasn't sure if it could be kept. But the kid needed an assurance that the team leader would be there to hold things together.

Tony nodded in silence. That's what he wanted to hear. He walked out of the head quietly. There was some relief at being able to wear his proverbial protective mask again. He could no longer afford to show his deep feelings any more. To show one's true self is to allow yourself to be vulnerable to ridicule and character assassination. Yet another wonderful thing his father had drilled into him. Tony also knew that if he closed him self off, he would protect his heart from being broken once again. That was something he never wanted to experience a second time.

________________________________________________________________________

_**The funeral**_

Tony wore one of his dark suits and dark glasses. He had spent the time on the private jet hiding in plain sight from the others. Fortunately, it was one of those rare times where even Abby could be silenced with a wave of the hand. Tony watched Abby talk to McGee and hold his hand. At least the Probie was getting looked after. Tony's attention turned to Ducky. He was probably reflecting on those special moments... Probably remembering all those sweet memories. Tony thought about all those sweet moments Kate and he had. The only thing was it only seemed to poison him with a bitter taste. He was thankful that the dark glasses hid the tears.

Many people spoke about Caitlin Todd. They spoke about her as a wonderful woman, an excellent agent and even her secret service days. She was many things to different people. It was no surprise to hear that she had an impact on all their lives. People that Kate knew, people who were lucky to have befriended her on and off the job. Tony smiled in Ducky's direction when he noticed him self being watched. Tony thought about saying a few words, but just thinking about all the things he could say about his beloved Kate caused him to swallow back even more tears.

After people finished speaking, came the laying of the flowers. Everyone wanted to leave a part of them selves with her. Tony couldn't bring him self to move right away. The whole scene began to move in slow motion. It felt as if he were in a scene from some chick flick. Each person spent a few seconds in quiet solitude as they remembered their special moments. There was one person who was absent, Tony noted. Gibbs... He said he'd be there. But there was no sign of him.

Tony straightened his jacket and slowly got up from his seat. He deliberately wore a pair of dark sunglasses to hide his hurt. Though they hid the unshed tears that he kept blinking back they couldn't hide the hurt on his face or in his body language. A hand rested on his shoulder. "What are you doing?" Gibbs asked his Senior Field Agent after he rose to his feet.

"Thought you weren't going to make it," Tony said as he walked over to the casket.

"I said I would," Gibbs said. "Let me tell you right now... Ari's body is being escorted back to Israel," he told the agent. At least he knew that that would provide some closure to that aspect. The younger man didn't have to worry about revenge or forever living with the knowledge that that killer was living free. He wouldn't go through what Gibbs had with that revenge burned in his heart until he killed the man responsible for the death of his loved ones.

Tony thought he'd leap for joy at the news. Only he found that he didn't feel anything. Now, there wasn't anything to hide behind, no revenge to keep the anger going and push the grief away. Without that he had no choice but to face his own grief. Those raw feelings he didn't understand that were right on the surface. They taunted him, stared at him and pulling at his heart as his chest tightened along with his throat. He tried desperately to calm himself down and keep them hidden until he was alone.

He stopped at the casket, the rose left his hand floating down to the metal coffin that held his Kate. He absently watched a pedal fall of as it fluttered through the air until it reached the ground. The petal as it flitted around open a door for many images. They sped through his mind like a slide show. The banter they often exchanged over the last few weeks. Those intoxicating kisses they shared, the soft caresses to his skin, his hand as it touched her silky skin, the sweet passion that mingled with love as they made love and became one. He had never felt that way with any woman. The last picture in his mind was the laughter as they joked and cuddled. All those were the sweet moments that made life worth living. Oh God, how was he going to live without her? How would he get through this? His throat closed again with his heavy heart.

"Sleep peacefully, my beautiful Kate," Tony choked out and then quietly he pulled in a ragged breath and the whispered. "I'll always love you."

_We should have made our move sooner..._

"Yeah," Tony agreed with the imagined conversation.

He joined Ducky and McGee and only half listened to the conversation they were having as he watched Gibbs leave with Jenny and Abby. Abby played the upbeat jazz music as they walked away. Tony felt him self smile and felt guilty. They just buried Kate Todd and here he was... Smiling as if nothing was wrong, but he couldn't give into the feelings he was having through out the day. He just took his lead from Abby and her upbeat music, just concentrating on her bounce, smile and music, it helped. And it also helped with keeping up a good external appearance. They say that time heals all wounds... But right now, that sounded like a lie... But perhaps, together they had a chance to rebuild the team... (And he only hoped that he could figure out how to rebuild his broken heart…..

"_I'm not trying to tell you what to be... Oh no, oh no... Not me. But if mankind is to survive the people left alive are going to have to build this world anew. Yes! And we will have to be the chosen few... With just a handful of man... We'll start... We'll start all over again! All over again! All over again" - Artilleryman, Brave New World... War Of The Worlds Musical._

_**END OF BOOK I**_


	21. Book 2

_**Chased By The Shadows Book 2**_

Tony found him self at Gibbs' house and was still debating whether or not this was a good idea. _The man's a Marine. A tough no nonsense man._ He gave out a bitter laugh at the thought. The last thing Gibbs would want is a broken agent at his doorstep late at night. For some reason he couldn't bring him self to step back into the car and drive home. He wanted to be alone, he didn't want to be alone… Hell he couldn't tell what he wanted anymore.

After some more internal debate, Tony turned the doorknob. Maybe Gibbs wasn't even home. That would definitely solve the conflict. Somehow his legs carried him through Gibbs' house and to the basement. The rhythmic sound of sandpaper against wood was almost soothing. "Hey, Boss," Tony greeted. But he stopped almost halfway down the stairs as if afraid of being forcibly removed.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he stopped sanding. He had wondered where his Senior Field Agent had gotten to. It seemed as if the younger man had disappeared off the face of the Earth.

"Don't stop," Tony said. "Mind if I sit down?" He asked tentatively.

"Missed you at the get together," Gibbs said. Somewhere between the funeral and the house afterwards, Tony had managed to disappear. "I know we didn't get a chance to talk before," Gibbs was referring to their attempt at a heart to heart talk in the bathroom before Kate's funeral.

Tony had tried to brush it off. He wanted another case, something that he can use to take his mind off his personal life. But nothing was going to happen in the next few minutes. "I couldn't do it Boss," Tony picked a spot on the floor and studied it. "I've been to a few funerals in my life and afterwards I had to stand there, pleasantly greet the mourners and friends... Shake their hands, thank them and hold my head up high," Tony sighed. He forever had to be strong, always keeping up appearances and never showing weakness. This was just more proof of his failure as a man and an agent.

"Nobody expected you to 'Keep Up Appearances', DiNozzo," Gibbs responded. "You can show your self to us," Gibbs stopped sanding. He couldn't continue working and concentrate on the situation at hand at the same time. There was so much that Gibbs didn't know about Tony's past and Tony could only be pushed so far before his safety barrier went up.

"I spent many times trying to be the dutiful son. Trying to live by the fact that showing one's feelings was showing weakness was never easy but it had to be done. DiNozzo was a name you had to live up to but never could," Tony shook his head slowly and sighed.

Gibbs rested his foot on the bottom step so he could lean closer to Tony. "I don't pretend to know what you went through and I doubt that any amount of asking will get me answers," Gibbs said. He knew that as a fact. "But I do know this, DiNozzo… Any normal person would be proud to have you as their son," Gibbs told him.

Tony scoffed. He hoped to God to one day believe that but he knew that men were supposed to be strong. One day he'd be able to prove that he's able to take on anything that life threw at him. Until then, he thought that people would only see the weak vulnerable side and laugh.

"You're feeling a loss, feeling empty and at the moment you're not sure if you're feeling what you should be feeling," Gibbs told him. His own gruffness had left and he spoke in an unusually soft tone.

"You've been down this road before," Tony couldn't maintain eye contact. "Of course you have," Tony shrugged. Gibbs sighed and shifted his footing. "How did you get over it, Boss?" Tony asked. He was desperate for answers so that he could move on. So he could put it behind him and continue his life lonely life as an NCIS agent.

"Tony…," this grabbed Tony's attention. Gibbs didn't use his first name on too many occasions. It was a shock to hear it. "You don't 'get over' loss like this. But over time you'll find that your pain will become manageable. You'll be able to think about her without feeling the heartache as strong as you do now," Gibbs said as he placed his hand on Tony's shoulder.

Tony swallowed hard and shook his head in silence. He was afraid that his voice would betray his feelings and make him sound like a blubbering idiot. It was at times like these that he was glad he knew when to keep his mouth shut.

"It may not seem so at the moment but the immense pain will ease," Gibbs tried to assure the younger man. Gibbs knew it was tough to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel of grief. "But you must open up," he told his senior field agent.

"Boss... I just don't... I don't," Tony cast his eyes downward.

"Don't what?" Gibbs pressed the issue. The young man was a complicated puzzle box. It was impossible to know how to open it.

Tony leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes. "I was always told that grieving was a private thing. Something that had to be done privately. I don't think I can do it, Boss," Tony felt his voice wavering. Losing Kate was one thing but disappointing Gibbs was an addition he was having problems with.

"Who the hell told you that, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked directly. It was obvious that the direct route worked better with Tony than any other.

"My Father, who else?" Tony shrugged. He remembered endless nights looking over his mother's photographs in a closet after she died. He also remembered pushing any feelings were pushed down so deep that he couldn't find them again. After all, DiNozzos never showed weakness or pain to the outside world.

"Your Father was full of shit," Gibbs said. It wasn't often that Gibbs hated somebody he'd never met, but this was an exception.

Tony scoffed. "Can I... I don't know. Stay here?" Tony asked. It felt like an odd request to make since he only stayed with his boss at the times when he was injured. Hell, he wasn't even offered a room when he was recovering from the effects of the plague, but then again he had Kate then. Tony shrugged his shoulders and looked away. He was ashamed at the request.

"Yes," Gibbs responded immediately.

"Thanks," Tony slowly nodded. It was still difficult to not picture his boss' disappointment in him.

"You need to talk about this, DiNozzo," Gibbs said once again. "Upstairs... You're going to stiffen up sitting like that all night," he told him. Honestly, he knew that Abby on occasion had gotten Tony slightly drunk to open him up. For a second, he thought about calling her but she had her own things to deal with. And plus, Tony was his responsibility.

Tony took the beer that was offered even though he didn't feel like drinking it. "I've tried to be this great NCIS Agent. I never wanted to make you regret your decision to hire me from Baltimore," Tony said. "I just realize how... How... I don't know... I guess I'm...," Tony began stammering.

"Human," Gibbs interjected.

"I was going to say... Weak, pitiful, a disappointment. I know it's stupid but I can't get my Father's voice out of my head! I don't know what's right anymore," Tony responded and felt like he was losing control.

"The only thing that's the wrong thing to do is to not do anything," Gibbs stood up and rested his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Listen, kid. I know you're more open with Abs. I can call her if you like," he watched Tony lower and shake his head.

"No," Tony said eventually. He wiped his eyes and sat back to put some distance between him and Gibbs, hoping that the older man would get the hint that he just didn't want to be touched at the moment. Now things were becoming clearer in his mind. First his mother, now Kate and basically any female relationship he's ever had has ended in heartache. There was only one plausible course of action to take. That was to put some distance between him and the opposite sex. Well keeping a professional attitude with Abby was something he should have done. Sure they weren't too friendly at the beginning and he should have kept it that way. "No, that won't be necessary," Tony reiterated.

"Just do us and do your self a favor, DiNozzo. Let it out. Grieve before it eats you alive," Gibbs said to him. He had been there and done that. Gibbs knew what it was like and knew what it could do.

"Come on, Boss," Tony sighed. "Everyone has to do some grieving on their own. I don't see Abby here, McGee here looking for your comfort. Why am I the only one turning up on your doorstep a mess? It's insane! It's childish! It's not manly behavior for one to turn into a blubbering mess. For Christ's sake I'm not the only one who's lost something," Tony suddenly climbed to his feet and paced around.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said. He said sternly.

"Look at you... You're calm and collected. You've got a level head and here I am ready to explode with emotion that I've been trying to control. I'm pathetic! I'm sorry, Boss. But I can't be that strong willed agent you deserve," Tony stood still.

"DiNozzo... Tony," Gibbs spoke softer. It was something that seemed to startle the younger man. "I've never asked you to be anything more than a good agent which you are but remember you are human... Damn it, DiNozzo... Hasn't the last month or so taught you that?" Gibbs stood close and rested his hand upon Tony's shoulder. "When you first came to NCIS, you were so closed off... You have come along way. You've let people in, you've let people care about you and we do... I'm proud of you," he stated.

Tony was about to say something in response but Gibbs' words echoed through his mind. It was now impossible for him to talk. Tony could feel him self choking up. Everything was being stirred up. Control was everything but now it was slipping away. He could feel his body trembling. "I think I need to sit down," Tony managed to say before he sat back in the chair. He knew that nobody knew how hard he had to work to keep the DiNozzo facade going. He buried his face in his hands, unable to hold it back he could feel his body trembling with each muffled sob.

"It's okay," Gibbs said as he sat next to him and massaged his back lightly. He thought that this was similar to the way he comforted Kelly whenever she was upset. Now it seemed that he had found the need to paternally protect Tony from hurting alone. He gave Tony a kiss on the hair and wiped a memorial tear from his own eyes. For now, he'd allow Tony to take as much time as was needed.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the big delay in updating.


	22. Backward steps

Chased By The Shadows

Distancing himself from people used to come easy to Tony. It was a coping mechanism that had helped him through tough times. After spending a regretful night at Gibbs' house he decided he needed to get out of his own head. People had their own grief to deal with so the last thing they needed around was him adding to things.

Fortunately, an old friend was living not too far from Tony's apartment. The friend didn't usually need a big excuse to go out drinking. Therefore rarely turned down a party night.

"I was surprised you came around, Tony," Andrew spoke loudly in order to be heard over the loud music being played.

"You know…" Tony twirled the bottle around in his hands allowing the dampness to rub off. He forced a smile out to hide the real reason why tonight was the perfect night to drink and forget. Even a temporary solution sounded good. "NCIS knows how to keep its agents busy," he said.

"How's being a federal agent working for you?" Andrew looked his friend up and down. "Looks like you're still looking as thin as," he observed.

Tony watched some people dancing and felt his cell vibrating. He wasn't sure why he decided to bring it with him. Abby's name flashed on the small display. He slightly shook his head before pocketing the cell. "Someone important?" Andrew laughed.

"Just some person at work," Tony answered. He had come to the conclusion that there was no better prevention to heartache than distance.

"You shouldn't be drinking if you're on call," Andrew stated. Not that it was any real concern to him.

"Not on call. Just someone who likes to keep tabs on people," Tony responded with a slight laugh. Word probably got around and the Goth more than likely was just doing her job.

"Another drink," Tony called to a waitress who was passing by. He looked over the bottle and waited with a heavy sigh.

Andrew noted that Tony seemed to turn quiet as he cleared his throat. It wasn't like he was overdoing the drinking. Compared to his usual drinking this was pretty tame. He coughed a couple of times to get the itch out of his throat. The more he tried, the worse it got as he gripped the side of their table and coughed hard to dislodge the irritation.

"You alright there, Tony?" Andrew queried. He was half interested and half interested in the girls that walked by.

"Just… think that the beer… went down the wrong way," Tony said as he caught his breath. Coughing fits was something that he hadn't totally gotten rid of but they were not as severe. At least he was no longer passing out.

"You getting slack in your old age," Andrew laughed.

Just to prove his friend wrong he took a long drink until he needed to come up for air. "Ahhh," he exaggerated the ah. That caused another laugh and a shake of the head. "A Frat boy never dies… They just hibernate," Tony told him. Not that he had spent a lot of time hibernating.

"Hey… Take a look at her," Andrew extended his finger to point out a young red head. She was dancing around with a couple of her female friends. No male dancers had approached the girl's vicinity.

Tony considered this only for a moment. Then thought it wasn't such a bad idea. A good fuck was probably what he needed to take his mind off everything. The world around him went fuzzy and Tony felt like he was falling sideways.

"Turned into a bit of a lightweight?" Andrew stood beside him.

"Nah," Tony responded. The alcohol had snuck up on him. Maybe catching up on old times meant that he had been drinking more without realizing it. That seemed to be the way to chase everything away. He licked his dry lips before entering the dance area.

Xxxxxxxx

**Tony's Apartment**

Usually, driving around over the limit with a federal agent in the passenger seat wouldn't be a bright idea. But when his friend kind of flaked out and began trying to get half the unattached women to either go home with him or get a hotel room. It would've been just like old times if Tony didn't seem so out of control.

"Stay there," Andrew rummaged through Tony's backpack after leaning him against the wall. He finally found the keys.

"Right…" Andrew said as he got the door open. "Let's get you into the bedroom," he explained what he was going to do.

"Sorry, Andrew Buddy but I don't swing that way," Tony peered around to see the red blurry lights flash on his answering machine. He had some messages for sure. "Can you order the room to stop spinning?" He asked.

Andrew shook his head and guided his drunken friend to the bedroom. Tony slumped backwards onto the bed without argument. "How much did you drink?" Andrew asked. Maybe it was some sort of alcohol poisoning and he wondered if he should take him to the emergency room.

He put the backpack onto the couch and he heard the rattling coming from inside. Curiosity and boredom told him to peek inside. He didn't think twice about doing so and it wasn't long until his hand grasped the pill bottle. In order to read the small-print label, Andrew took out a pair of glasses from his chest pocket.

"Oh man," he leaned his head back and sighed. The antibiotic dosage was high and that mixed with alcohol more than likely caused the erratic behavior of Tony's erratic behavior. That was when he decided it would be better to wait until morning before going home.

Xxxxxxxx

Andrew felt as if he had just closed his eyes when he heard the sound of feet running across carpet. Then there was the familiar sound of someone paying homage to the porcelain God. He wiped his face with his hands and checked his watch. It was just after six in the morning.

"How'd I get home?" Tony slightly staggered into the living area. His head was pounding and his stomach was empty.

"Had to bring you home," Andrew stood up. He adjusted his jacket and sniffed the sleeve of his jacket. "I really need to go home and change. I smell of cigarette smoke and sweat," Andrew stated.

Tony rubbed his forehead with his forefinger. "You didn't have to stay. You shouldn't have stayed," Tony told him. His mind was trying to find the pieces that were missing from the previous night. He remembered talking to a couple of women on the dance floor. He remembered flirting. But then he remembered waking up at home. "What the hell happened last night?" He asked. It was meant to be a rhetorical question.

"Guess mixing your scripts and alcohol wasn't a good idea. Part of me thinks you already know that," Andrew didn't feel the need to elaborate any more.

"Oh… I didn't think about that," Tony didn't bother questioning how his friend knew.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Tony grimaced as his head felt like it was echoing the knocking. "Wait a moment," He called out to the person at the other side of the door. "Well it was nice catching up… We should really do this again real soon," Tony smiled as they approached the door.

"Right," Andrew responded as the door was opened to reveal Abby waiting impatiently. "Anyway… I must be off," he said as he gave a courteous nod to Abby before disappearing down the hall.

Xxxxxxxx

"Good morning, Abby," Tony greeted with as much enthusiasm as his growing headache would allow.

Abby wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. Not until she got a reasonable explanation at least. "I called a few times to see how you were doing… Both on your cell and landline. I see you haven't checked any of the messages… And I see you've slept in your clothes which tells me you were either really sick or just been up most of the night… And who was that?" Abby had looked around the apartment and saw that there were five messages on the machine.

Tony finally felt the opportunity to speak once again. "I was out last night," he felt the urge to defend his actions. "Met up with a friend," he pointed to the doorway indicating that that was who left. "So I had a couple of beers and didn't hear my cell," he said.

"You look dreadfully pale, Tony," Abby observed.

_Guess I would be. _"Had a couple of drinks. I must've drunk more than I thought. You know how it is. You know what I'm like," Tony smirked mischievously. It was more of a slight tease. It was similar to the 'you gotta love me' smile he used when he first started.

"Just, you know, you were at Gibbs. I know you've been down and we were worried about you," Abby nervously rubbed her wrist. When getting on that personal level it was hard to ascertain how Tony would react.

"I'm fine, Abby," Tony said with a straight face.

At times you couldn't take Tony at his word. Those who knew him, knew and accepted this and dug a little harder. "Tony," she said in a disbelieving tone. Those who thought Gibbs was the toughest interrogator surely hadn't faced Abby.

"Abs… I'm fine, really," Tony laughed. It wasn't as if they had never seen him with a hell of a hangover before. This time of all times they decide to make a federal case out of it. "I appreciate you coming around this early… But as you so readily pointed out, I really need to shower, change and freshen up," he stated and walked towards the door.

"Tony… You know it's just, I'm a little worried about you. About everyone. So many things have happened lately and it's been tough," Abby said as Tony opened the door.

Tony refused to make eye contact for a second. It had been tough and there was no way to deny that. "I will see you at work," Tony assured her. He forced himself to grin. He couldn't believe how difficult it was.

"Alright, Mister," Abby managed to say before the door closed. Of course she was worried. She was worried about all her people. She waited a couple of seconds before leaving down the hallway.

Tony pressed rested his head on his hand while leaning on the counter. The headache was intensifying but at least he had some peace and quiet now. Perhaps the shower would somehow alleviate it. There was no way in hell he could call in sick. Hell, he couldn't even clear his throat without them jumping all over him. Basically, he wanted them to just back off and give him some breathing space. Maybe he just needed some rest or something.

xxxxxxxxxxx

**A/N: Must apologize. But am going to get to finishing this story.**


End file.
